Joy Oaks is the Director of Graduate Services for the Master of Public Diplomacy Program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies at Cal Poly Pomona and her master’s degree in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs at USC. The departments for which she has worked during her nine years of service at USC include the Division of Student Affairs, the Annenberg School for Communication, and the USC Alumni Association. During her time with the Division of Student Affairs, she served as the assistant director in the Office of Orientation Programs, which was responsible for planning and executing new student orientation programs for approximately 6,500 new students and family members each year. She was also co-instructor for EDCO 030—The Process of Paraprofessional Counseling for Young Adults.

Joy holds membership in the Los Angeles Conservancy, the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and MENSA International. She is currently a doctoral candidate at USC in Higher Education Administration. Her areas of interest and research include student development, student involvement and engagement, and the college student-athlete experience.