Before his retirement, Joel was a Vice President of Amazon.com. During his tenure there he was responsible for all of the company's website technology development and launched Amazon.com's marketplace businesses. Prior to joining Amazon.com, he held a variety of management and software development positions at Microsoft, Apple Computer, Hewlett Packard and VisiCorp. Joel spent a year as a VISTA volunteer working with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Lame Deer MT. He is a named inventor on over a dozen U.S. patents. Joel received a B.A. in biology from Grinnell.