Since December 2001, after the death of their daughter to a drunk driver, the Shirley family has been heavily involved with MADD.

In 2005, Northern Arizona University bestowed upon Shirley an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for his 35 years of continued service to the Navajo community.

[4] In 1984, Joe Shirley Jr. began his term as Apache County Supervisor for District I and continued to serve for 18 years before he was elected President of the Navajo Nation.

After completing his terms as Navajo Nation President, he was re-elected in 2012 and serves as chairman of the board of supervisors.

[4] Joe was inaugurated as the President of the Navajo Nation on January 14, 2003, in Window Rock, AZ.

[6] In 2006, Shirley selected Thoreau, New Mexico, Council delegate Ben Shelly as his vice presidential running mate during his second bid for Navajo Executive Office.

[9] In 2009, President Barack Obama made Shirley a member of the Federal Department of Homeland Security's Advisory Council.

Shirley has served as co-chair of both the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Budget Advisory Council and the Sovereignty Protection Initiative.