Karen Neal is the chapter executive of the NACD Heartland Chapter. She collaborates with chapter board members, regional leaders, and NACD’s national office to produce state-of-the-art educational programs and peer-to-peer, interactive experiences for director members across a five-state region.

Before joining the NACD Heartland Chapter, Neal launched a boutique event planning business while supporting the KC Ad Club as program manager of the American Advertising Awards, the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition. Neal began her career as a plaintiff’s-side paralegal but found her niche in nonprofit leadership and management.

Prior to KC Ad Club, Neal served as project manager of community engagement for the Cookingham Institute of Urban Affairs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and as vice president of operations for Global Scholars, a Kansas-based nonprofit organization serving global academic leaders.

Neal has a master of public administration degree from UMKC and a bachelor of science degree in social psychology from Park University (Parkville, Missouri). Neal holds a Digital Event Strategist certification from the Professional Convention Management Association and a certificate in professional fundraising from the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership.

Raised in Southern California but born an adventurer, Neal has enjoyed living in several states across the country, including Hawaii, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Maryland, and Maine. She also spent three unforgettable years overseas in Cornwall, England. She and her husband, Vince, live in Overland Park, Kansas.