Dr. Halcomb was initiated into the Kentucky Epsilon chapter at the University of Kentucky (UK) in 1970.  He served as an Alumni Advisor for the Kentucky Epsilon Chapter and has served as a delegate to the National Convention.  As an undergraduate, he served in various leadership roles, including Eminent Archon of his chapter.

Dr. Halcomb is CEO of Phoenix Initiãre, a private equity firm, and is a Limited Partner at Telegraph Hill Partners.  He also serves on a number of advisory boards at UK.  Dr. Halcomb served as a senior executive at Amgen, a global biotechnology company, and Zimmer, Inc., a leading orthopedic device company.  He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from UK and completed post-graduate training in Internal Medicine.  He also holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from UK and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), respectively.

Dr. Halcomb was inducted into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2020 and received the degree of Honorary Doctor of Engineering from UK in 2021.  Joe and his wife, Joani, recently relocated to Franklin, TN.  They have two daughters and eight grandchildren.  Joe loves driving his restored 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster.  He is also an avid drummer and plays a custom kit made of the burl wood of a 300-year-old poplar tree.

Dr. Halcomb joined the SAE Foundation Board of Trustees in October 2019 and served as the Chair of the Scholarship Commission. Dr. Halcomb joined the Supreme Council in 2023 as the Eminent Supreme Chronicler.