Welcome to Arkansas State University!

Assistant Professor of Public Administration

MPA Program Director


Education

  • D.P.A., Public Administration, West Chester University
  • M.S., Geography, West Chester University
  • Masters Certificate, Geographic Information Systems, West Chester University 
  • M.P.A, Public Administration, Arkansas State University
  • B.A., Natural Sciences & Mathematics, Thomas Edison State University.

Teaching Specialties

  • Nonprofit Management
  • Nonprofit Finance and Fundraising
  • Nonprofit Marketing
  • Research Methods

Research Interests

  • Animal Welfare
  • Administrative Ethics
  • Data and AI Ethics
  • Access to Veterinary Care
  • One health and public policy

Biography

Dr. Neal is the Online MPA Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Public Administration. She teaches courses in the nonprofit concentration of the MPA program as well as core MPA courses. She was employed for over two decades as an Executive Director in the nonprofit sector and has done extensive research consulting for a number of national animal welfare organizations. Her research has appeared in Public Administration Review, Journal of Public Integrity, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Journal of Community Animal Health and Shelter Medicine and Review of Public Personnel and Administration and other edited volumes. Dr. Neal serves as the Managing Editor at the Journal of Public Integrity. She co-founded the Veterinary Care Accessibility Project, a nonprofit research organization. Her research combines the fields of public policy and animal welfare with a special focus on the use of GIS and data to advance understanding and improve outcomes for nonhuman animals.