Dr. Joseph C. Joyce

Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame

Dr. Joseph C. Joyce was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He obtained his B.S. and M.S. at the University of Alabama and later obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Forest Resources and Conservation. He began his career in 1972 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The highlight of his career with the Corps was leading a successful effort to more effectively manage the invasive water hyacinth in waters of Florida.

In 1983, Dr. Joyce joined the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty as the Director of the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. He also served UF/IFAS as the Director of the Center for Natural Resources, as Interim Dean for Research, and Interim Vice President of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For more than 20 years, he served as the Senior Associate Vice President, and he will serve as Director of the IFAS Center for Leadership until his retirement later this year. Dr. Joyce also served in the Army Reserve for over 28 years and retired at the rank of Brigadier General.

Among Dr. Joyce's significant contributions to Florida agriculture, he oversaw IFAS fiscal/budget operations, personnel administration, information technology, and facilities planning, operations and management. During his tenure as Associate Vice President, IFAS closed and/or consolidated nine locations and added a net of more than 800,000 square feet of new, state-of-the art research, teaching and extension space across the state to serve the needs of Florida agriculture.