Brandon Neal

Brandon T. Neal is the Deputy Political Director for Civic Engagement at the National Democratic Governors Association in Washington, DC. As a part of the political team, he is responsible for assisting all of the Democratic Governors with priority issues, training, and assisting with their respective gubernatorial races/campaigns. Additionally, he advises them on minority issues and assists with student training and recruitment.

Formally, Neal was the National Director of the Youth, College, and Young Adult Division for the NAACP. He was appointed as the youngest National Director of the Division, and is responsible for over 650 Youth Councils and College Chapters, representing over 70,000 young people in the US, Germany, and Japan. His leadership was instrumental in organizing several national issues: the exoneration of Marcus Dixon, a 16 year-old honor student accused of raping his classmate in Rome, Georgia, the chartering of a NAACP College Chapter on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, DC, and planning the Save Our Social Security (SOS) Town Hall Meetings on college campuses, just to name a few.

Due to his passion and commitment to activism, Neal was featured in Ebony magazine as one of the “top 30 leaders in America under 30.” He has also been featured in the Savoy and JET magazines, seen on BET, CNN, and CSPAN, and in many other national publications. Neal was also selected to serve as a speaker at the 40th Anniversary of the March on Washington.

Prior to his promotion, he served as the Mid-Atlantic Youth Field Director for the NAACP National Office. As Youth Field Director, he trained Youth Units and College Chapters on Advocacy and Civil Rights throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, chartered and reactivated NAACP Units, and executed the NAACP’s legislative agenda on Capitol Hill. In an effort to educate the region on issues and current events, Neal organized the first of many Town Hall Meetings and Forums on the War on Iraq, Senate Judicial Nominations, and Affirmative Action.

Neal joined the NAACP National Office as the National Youth Council Coordinator. This position enabled him to supervise 450 Youth Councils in the US, Germany, and Japan. He organized the largest National Day of College Preparation. In conjunction with the Princeton Review Foundation and the Sallie Mae Corporation, over 3,000 high school students received free SAT training and financial aid information in 24 cities in the country.

During his his senior of college at Howard University, Neal interned at ABC-WJLA News 7 in Washington, DC, as a part of the Investigative Team Unit, covering stories throughout the Greater Washington area. He is mostly noted for covering stories on the taxi-cab discrimination case and the surveillance of African-American soldiers during World War II.

Noted for his involvement in Community and Social Service, Howard University President, H. Patrick Swygert, selected Neal to meet with President William Jefferson Clinton at the White House to discuss the student loan process and the curbing the student default rate. Recently, he was awarded the 2005 National Association for Equal Opportunity in Education (NAFEO) Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award.

Neal enjoys educating and empowering young people of the rights and civil liberties in America. He lives by the motto: “It doesn’t matter how much I have in my bank account, the types of clothes I wear, or the type of car I drive, as long as I can make a difference in a young person’s live, then I have accomplished my goal.”

A lifetime member of the NAACP, Neal is also affiliated with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the Howard University Alumni Association, the Urban League Young Professional Network, Young Democrats of America, and serves on the Advisory Boards for Partnership for Public Service and Black Youth Vote (Civic Participation). He is a member of the People’s Community Baptist Church and serves as an Advisor to the Teen Choir and a mentor in the Men’s Rites of Passage Program.

Recently, Neal obtained his MPA from the American University School of Public Affairs and intitiated a student political empowerment training around the 2006 Governor's races in preparation for the November election