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Dr. Joseph S. "Joe" Paul • Citizen Service Coordinator, City of Hattiesburg
Dr. Joseph S. Paul is currently serving on a part-time basis as the Citizen Service Coordinator for the City of Hattiesburg, a position where he is helping the Mayor change the service culture for Hattiesburg. He is also actively engaged as an organizational development consultant and executive coach. His primary client is the Horne CPAs & Business Advisors Firm. He has served the University between 2015 and 2017 in a part-time capacity in University fundraising. Dr. Paul worked in the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi for 39 years and served as Vice President for 21 years. He began employment at Southern Miss in 1976 following his graduation from the institution. Before becoming vice president for student affairs in February 1993, he held a variety of administrative positions. He also holds faculty rank in USM’s College of Education and Psychology, teaching in the graduate program in educational leadership. He is currently Vice President Emeritus at Southern Miss.
Paul has presented seminars and training in management and leadership for business, industry, and education. He was a senior consultant with The Atlanta Consulting Group, a Fortune Top 50 management consulting firm. Clients Paul has worked with include UPS, RJR Nabisco, Ohio-Edison, Stennis Institute, US Navy, Accenture, South Central Mississippi Medical Center, Sanderson Farms and the Horne CPA & Business Advisors Firm.
Paul holds a Ph.D. in administration of higher education from the University of Alabama and was named the university’s Most Outstanding Doctoral Student in the field in 1985. The Bay St. Louis native earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and political science from USM in 1975, graduating magna cum laude from the University Honors College, and received a master’s degree in communication and management from Southern Miss in 1978. He was inducted into the University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame in 2000.
In 1978, Paul was named the National Association of Student Personnel’s Outstanding New Professional. In 1981, the Jaycees named him Mississippi’s Outstanding Young Man. He is also a 1987 graduate of Leadership Mississippi training.
Among many civic activities, Paul has served three terms as president of the United Way of Southeast Mississippi. He has served as Board Chairman for the greater Hattiesburg Area Development Partnership and as a Board Trustee for the Mississippi Public Employees Retirement System. He has also been president of the Hattiesburg Area Education Foundation, on the Board of Directors for the Hattiesburg Boys and Girls Club and has been a trustee for the Hattiesburg Public School District. He is co-founder of the Hattiesburg Leadership Pinebelt program and has served on a statewide basis in leadership positions with the Mississippi Economic Council. He is an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church.
Wife: Meg Pearson Paul (Hospice Nurse with Forrest General Hospital); Children: Hallie Paul Krebs (Winston-Salem, NC), and Daniel Paul (Columbia, SC.)