Jose grew up in Chicago's Humboldt Park community. During his sophomore year of High School, he encountered the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and has continued to faithfully walk as a Christian for over 30 years. Jose faced several obstacles growing up in the inner-city, including fatherlessness, gang violence, and academic struggles, but by the grace of God, he was able to graduate from Roberto Clemente high school and college. He earned a B.A. in Social Work from Northeastern IL University and an M.A. in Social Work from the University of Chicago, where his graduate school research work focused on combating and reducing gang violence in Chicago.

Jose has engaged in short-term national and international missions trips, worship arts ministry, sports ministry, discipleship building, and church leadership. He assisted New Life Community Church in launching new sites in the Lake View, Lincoln Park, and Humboldt Park neighborhoods. In 2012, He and his wife founded The Church Outside the Walls (TCOTW) ministries with the mission of being Christ ambassadors within the body of Christ and in the world, making and nurturing disciples, and financially supporting other ministries. 

Jose and his college sweetheart, Shanda, whom he led to faith in Christ, were married in 1994. They are proud parents of three beautiful children: Niana, D'je, and Jose Jr.

Jose's passion is biblical discipleship and sonship. He loves to help people navigate their Christian growth process by practically building an intimate relationship with the Lord and corporately functioning within the Church according to the "one another" scriptures to become faithful and fruitful imitators of Christ. As an elder at 180, Jose's point of focus is to oversee 180Homes.