Neal grew up in Cincinnati, attended St. Xavier High School, and graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English Literature and the Comparative Study of Religion. At Harvard, Neal was a member of their two-time National Championship Squash Team and Co-Captain in his senior year. After graduation, Neal spent time in a Catholic seminary considering a call to ministry. Though he determined he didn’t have a call to the priesthood, Neal has remained committed to building enduring Christian community ever since. His professional experience lies in finance and organization building. He worked at Horan Associates and US Bank before he founded and ran a financial consulting firm, Phalanx Advisors, that served a range of clientele: from helping young couples map their financial futures, to helping physicians negotiate the sale of their medical practice to guiding large companies in the effective design of benefit plans. Neal also founded and directed Cincinnati’s first publicly accessible squash organization for area youth, The T Squash Academy. Neal joined WJW in the summer of 2019, where he brings his knack for vision, sales, management and team building to his role as Director of Strategy and Business Development.

Neal and his wife, Katie, have 4 children. They are joint members of St. Margaret of York Parish and Northstar Community Church. True to his original calling, Neal is devoted to several important ministries in these two communities: a ministry to fathers, one to kids, and a focused effort at building bridges between Catholic and Protestant faith communities.