Joel Smolen was born and raised in San Francisco California. A first
generation American. He attended Washing High School and joined the US
Army in 1960 and was on activity duly and reserves until 1967. He
graduated from City College of San Francisco with an AA degree and
attended San Jose State University, with a major in Biology and Zoology.
While
in college, Joel had a wide variety of blue-collar jobs, including
truck driver, forklift operator, painter, and crane operator, to pay
for tuition and living costs. He was a member of the Boilermakers Union
Joel
worked for LMC Corporation in San Jose California, and rose to Senior
Vice President of the Firm, they provided recycling opportunities,
international shipping facilities, including bulk carriers, shipping
and freighters. The company had operations in San Jose, Oakland, and
Richmond, California. Including offices in Europe, Japan and other
Asian countries.
He formed MICROMET Corporation in 1972 a firm
specializing in metallurgical applications and systems. He went on to
found AMTEC Corporation, concentrating on metallurgical/ semi conductor
manufacturing and system application and consulting for the technology
industry in the United States, Asia, and Europe.
Joel worked as
a consultant for Bay Area Companies, primarily in the areas of asset
preservation and risk management, from 1987 until 2000.
He is a
State Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) and manages a Venture Life
Science Fund, which invests in public and private biotechnology
companies, primarily in the area of oncology, and emerging new life
saving drugs. He is on the Board of Directors of AmpiMed Corporation,
Tucson, Arizona, and Ninja Mobile, Los Angeles, California.
He is a member of ACLU, Amnesty International, American Legion, and the Libertarian Party.
Joel
lived in Monterey California, from 1975 until 2005, and currently
resides in San Rafael, California. He is an avid outdoorsman, and
environmentalist. He is a fly fisherman, kayaker, does weight training,
and hiking. He has walked the Pacific Trail, crossed the Arctic Circle,
and has been to the Himalayas 14 times as a leader of photography and
climbing expeditions.
Joel has a daughter Rachael who is married and lives in Shanghai, China.
He
was the Libertarian Candidate for US Congress in 2004 for the 17th
Congressional District, and is the current candidate for United States
Congress for the 6th Congressional District, which Includes, Marin
County and Sonoma Counties.
Joel is committed to protecting
individual freedoms and personal privacy and to a significant reduction
in the size and scope of government along with lower taxes for
Californians, and all Americans.