About Dr. Neal

Dr. Phillip Neal serves as the President and CEO of Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, bringing nearly 30 years of experience in higher education. Previously, Dr. Neal led national corporate partnership development for the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD). He was a community college faculty member and also served as a chief student affairs administrator. Dr. Neal began in higher education working with gifted and talented high school students and later served in career and athletic counseling roles. With a career spanning two community colleges and two universities in Kentucky, Texas and Wyoming, Dr. Neal has provided senior-level leadership in academics, student affairs, institutional effectiveness and corporate training.

Dr. Neal earned a doctoral degree in educational administration from the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin and completed his master’s degree in education and bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Wyoming.

Dr. Neal serves on numerous regional boards and councils supporting Kentucky’s workforce and industry development.  At the state level, Dr. Neal is the past chair of the Kentucky Community and Technical College Academic Council and was instrumental in creating the state’s common course numbering system. Also, as an Executive Steering Committee member of the statewide Dual Credit Program, his team transformed college and career readiness opportunities for Kentucky’s high school population. Nationally, Dr. Neal serves on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Board of Directors and enjoys speaking at professional development conferences on infusing innovation into the classroom.  Dr. Neal is co-author of The Creative Community College: Leading Change Through Innovation, a Community College Press best seller on exemplary leadership practices, and guest lectures on leadership development at university graduate programs across the nation.

Dr. Neal is passionate about creating healthy institutional cultures promoting student success, community development, and healthy working environments. From P-16 partnerships to economic development, he believes our country’s future rests in the hands of those we educate and those who educate them. While his career has been dedicated to student success, Dr. Neal states that his most important roles in life are being a husband and father.