Dr. Joe Davis
Chapter Co-Advisor - PTK Board of Directors
Joe is a native of Virginia. This is his eleventh year at Southwestern College and his second year as Alpha Pi Epsilon Co-Adviser alongside Professor Myriam Moody. Joe focuses his chapter advising time supporting PTK students with “Honors in Action” (HIA) and “College Project” (CP).
Before joining SWC initially as an adjunct faculty member, Dr. Davis taught at UCSD (School of Medicine) and SDSU (Psychology) between 1999-2006. He is a mid-career professional with expertise in mental health, higher education, student support services, public safety psychology, research, college health services to include personal wellness, and behavioral health. When not working at SWC, for the past 17 years, he functions as an instructor and public safety consultant to the California Department of Justice, Institute of Criminal Investigation and POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) bureau and division. Dr. Davis is a former Professional Services Reserve (PSR), having served the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for over 12 years.
In 2002, Dr. Davis was 1 of only 5 SDSU professors’ campus-wide recognized by the Phi Beta Kappa Society (PBK est. 1776) and Nu Chapter who received the “Excellence in Teaching Award.” Most recently in 2021, Joe received the SWC “Team Faculty Excellence Award” for his supporting role serving students and the college as part of his mental health role working in Health Services and the Personal Wellness Services (PWS) Center. A first-generation college student, Dr. Davis’s earned a B.S. degree with honors in psychology and biology (emphasis in psychobiology and cognitive neuroscience), and both master’s and doctorate (Ph.D.) degrees in clinical psychology. He is also the recipient of the Doctor of Laws honorary degree (honorable causa, honoris causa), the LL.D., awarded meritoriously for his work devoted to public safety and public service. He attended Radford University, University of Virginia, California School of Psychology, Professional School of Psychology at the University for Humanistic Studies, and Cal-State Fullerton. He completed his training in clinical psychology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in La Jolla, California, and his clinical neuropsychology training at Sharp Memorial-Cabrillo Hospital in San Diego.
Additionally, he has earned several diplomas, certificates, board certifications, and licenses at the post-baccalaureate and postdoctoral levels. He is the author, co-author, and editor of 3 books, 4 course readers, 30 book chapters, and over 65 peer-reviewed articles and publications to date in the fields of criminal justice, and psychology. Dr. Davis was inducted into several college scholastic honorary societies that include Psi Chi (psychology), Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership), Pi Gamma Mu (social science), and Phi Kappa Phi (scholarship).
Dr. Davis is a subject matter expert in multiple academic disciplines. As an adjunct professor at SWC he teaches in departments of Counseling and Criminal Justice. In addition to teaching, he is also assigned to main campus Counseling and Psychological Services Center, known as Personal Wellness Services (PWS), where he conducts educational workshops, and provides mental health treatment, case management, and direct support to students.
Joe is married to Eileen (BA honors, UC-Santa Barbara), and has two daughters, Haley (BA honors, College of Wooster), and Meghan (BA honors, University of New Mexico). Hobbies include music, hiking, gardening, cycling-bike riding, and the occasional round of golf in his
spare time!
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YOUR ADVISORS
Myriam Moody
Chapter Advisor - Regional Coordinator
Hello and welcome to Alpha Pi Epsilon Chapter. My name is Myriam, who is a professor of mathematics at Southwestern College, and I am grateful and honored to serve as the Chapter Advisor. It has been quite an adventure and it gets better every year. Serving our students on campus and seeing them grow into transformative leaders and successful students, are my pride and joy. I believe that change starts from your own corner of the world that you have, and watch it unfolds as it cause a ripple effect on every corner around you. So this is my corner of the world and with the best that I can, I am passing it on to my students. Some of the most memorable events are becoming a 5-Star Chapter, being named the 11th Most Distinguished Chapter, having one of the members named as one of the Most Distinguished Members, having one of the officer teams named as one of the Most Distinguished Officer Teams to name a few.
One of my other hats that I wear in Phi Theta Kappa is that of the NV/CA Regional Coordinator. In this role, I work with a number of people within Nevada/California. The Nevada/California Regional Board's mission is to promote service, strengthen leadership, empower fellowship, acknowledge scholarship opportunities, and inspire NV/CA chapters and members into potential world leaders. Some of the most memorable moments is when three of our regional officers was named Most Distinguished Regional Officer and when one of the boards was named Most Distinguished Regional Board. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but today I’ll continue to blaze new trails all from my little corner of the world.