Josh grew up in rural Loudoun County VA, pursuing simultaneous fascinations with the outside world of rivers, streams, and woods and the inside world of amplifiers and drum sets. In 2000, he began his career in education with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), moving into the world of formal education in 2012 (after a 6 year hiatus as a touring bluegrass musician), teaching middle school science for Richmond Public Schools (RPS). Josh moved to the VDOE as a Science Curriculum Specialist in 2018, returning to RPS in 2019 as the K-12 Science Curriculum and Instructional Specialist, helping to systemize a constructivist approach to science education.

Josh holds a Bachelors in Geology from Brown University, a M.Sc from the VA Institute of Marine Science, and a M.Ed from VCU. Josh plays music on a regular basis, and lives and frolics near the river in Richmond with his partner who designs and builds custom upholstered furniture and a precocious daughter who is obsessed with spiders and ukuleles.