He was appointed to the position by Director John Negroponte on December 7, 2005.

Joel entered public service following the events of September 11.

Prior to his employment by the CIA, Mr. Joel served as the privacy, technology, and e-commerce attorney for Marriott International, Inc., where he helped engineer and deploy Marriott's global privacy compliance program, including the creation of their first privacy officer position.

Before that, he worked as a technology attorney at the law firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge in Washington, D.C. (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman), and for four years as a U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps officer, as both prosecutor and defense attorney.

degree from Princeton University in 1984, magna cum laude.