Full Biography
On November 2, 2010, Joe Heck was elected to the United States Congress as Nevada’s Representative for the Third Congressional District. Heck is only the third person to hold this seat since its creation. He serves on the Education and Workforce Committee, and the Armed Services Committee. He is also the only freshman appointed to serve on the House Permanent Committee on Intelligence.
Dr. Heck has more than 25 years in public service as a physician, Army Reservist, and community volunteer. Previously, Heck served as a volunteer firefighter and ambulance attendant, Search & Rescue team member, and SWAT physician. A Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, he was called to active duty three times, including a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
As a small business owner, he served as the President and Medical Director of Specialized Medical Operations, Inc., a corporation dedicated to providing quality medical training, consulting, and operational support to Law Enforcement, EMS and Military Special Operations. Dr. Heck has lectured and published widely on special operations medical support, the medical response to acts of terrorism, and emergency preparedness and response.
Dr. Heck represented Nevada State Senate District 5 from 2004 through 2008, serving on the Natural Resources, Human Resources and Education, and the Commerce and Labor Committees, and as Vice-Chair of the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.
Born in New York and raised in Pennsylvania, Joe moved to Southern Nevada in 1992. A 1984 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Health Education, he received his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988, and completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in 1992. In July 2006 he graduated from the U.S. Army War College, earning a Masters of Strategic Studies.
Joe is a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 13456, American Legion Paradise Post 149, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 36 and Catholic War Veterans Post 1947. He enjoys reading and playing/coaching lacrosse.
Joe and his wife Lisa, a registered nurse, have three children: Monica, Chelsea, and Joseph III.
