Neal was first introduced to the problems of climate change during the 1980s when he was studying and teaching at Harvard University’s Department of the History of Science. In the 1990s, Neal was a founding executive of the Advisory Board Company and was part of the team that took that company public in 2001. He has been part of the healthcare strategy consulting firm BDC Advisors since 2008, first as Managing Director and then as a Senior Advisor. During that time, he has also been involved in IT startups as an investor, executive, and board member (these include Pascal Metrics and Health Payment Systems), and he built a partnership with CAA (Creative Artists Agency) and GBG (Global Brands Group) to help systems develop brand strategies.
For the last ten years, Neal has worked with 350.organd other organizations in his home state of New Hampshire to move the state on environmental policy. Last year, he began working on a book on the role of health systems in climate change, Leading Communities to NetZero Emissions: Climate Change for Healthcare Executives and has now founded Healthcare Climate ActionWorks, which is focused on helping health systems achieve their environmental goals effectively, and in a way that lowers costs, increases revenue, improves the bond rating and creates access to ESG capital.