Joan F. Neal, M.A.P.S., D.Min (h.c.)

Joan Neal, M.A.P.S., D.Min (h.c.) is the Interim Executive Director at NETWORK where she is responsible for overall leadership and oversight of the mission, strategic vision, policy goals, and financial objectives of the political ministry. Neal also represents NETWORK to external audiences and builds relationships with partners, collaborators, and governmental bodies–particularly Congress and the Administration–on behalf of the mission.

Previously, as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Equity Officer, Joan shared overall leadership for the organization and for its racial justice work. Overall, for the past 10 years, Joan has contributed to NETWORK as a consultant for strategic planning and racial justice, and as a Government Relations Fellow advocating for reforms of the U.S. criminal legal system. Formerly, Joan served as Vice President, Institutional Planning and Effectiveness and Chief Planning Officer at Cabrini College, in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and as Executive Vice President at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) where she founded and led CRS’ U.S. Operations Division and directed CRS’ national public policy and legislative advocacy.

Joan Neal is an Associate Member of the National Black Sisters Conference, and holds an honorary doctorate and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from the Catholic Theological Union where she is also a Life Trustee. She is a member of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium and serves as a member of the Board of the Sister Thea Bowman Foundation (Chicago) and the Mission Committee of the Board of the University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio). Joan is a former Vice Chair of the Board of the Center for Migration Studies (New York).