Foundations of Success: Joe Morris’ Journey from CCP to Health Care Leadership

Joe Morris, a member of Community College of Philadelphia’s first graduating class, remembers his days at the College fondly, and is grateful for the educational and overall life skills he gained while at the College. After graduating from CCP, Morris pursued a robust career in health care and eventually went on to obtain an MBA in Health Administration from Temple University.

“I would say it taught me to be self-reliant,” Morris said about his experience at the College. “And to always be looking for the answer and to explore various avenues to get to that answer, and to consult with others and find out their ideas.”

Morris has used these skills in all of his professional roles, including an air pollution control analyst, a professional liability consultant, an analyst with the New Jersey Department of Health and eventually became Assistant Health Commissioner with the NJ Department of Health. He also worked as the project manager for diagnosis-related groups during a time when the State of New Jersey was experimenting with how to pay hospitals differently for Medicare. “In [January] 1980, we implemented the first set of 26 hospitals,” Morris said. “And it was a success. Medicare adopted it three years later, and they still use it to this day.”

After decades of a successful career following a strong launch from CCP, Joe Morris hopes that the College continues to provide important educational opportunities to the entire Philadelphia community, making it, "possible for some individuals to actually achieve and have a career that they might not otherwise have.”