Jeffrey Neal was appointed in June 2009 by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano as the Department’s Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO). Mr. Neal is responsible for the department’s recruiting, diversity, learning and development, policies, programs and technology to ensure the Department has the right people in the right jobs at the right time; that the DHS workforce represents the nation we serve; that employees are developed and rewarded; and human capital policies, processes and technology support the Department’s ability to fulfill the mission.
Mr. Neal has extensive Federal human resources and information technology experience, having served as a career civil servant for 31 years; including 11 years as a career member of the Senior Executive Service. He served as the Chief Human Capital Officer for the 23,000-employee Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) since 2000. At DLA, the U.S. Department of Defense’s largest logistics combat support agency, Mr. Neal identified more than $50 million in administrative and operational savings—a transformation that was cited by the Partnership for Public Service as a model for other federal agencies. He created the Enterprise Leader Development Program to address the critical leadership skills required in today’s workplace and developed a highly successful agency-wide survey to meet current challenges.
Mr. Neal was Deputy Director of Human Resources at the U.S. Department of Commerce from 1998 to 2000, where he replaced multiple staffing systems with a single online system—resulting in improved position fill time, accuracy and accountability. Prior to working at the Department of Commerce, he served as Director of Headquarters Complex Operations from 1997-1998 at DLA and worked as a personnel officer at DLA and the U.S. General Services Administration from 1993 to 1997.
He began his career in 1978 with the Department of the Navy as a participant in the Navy's human resources intern program. During his tenure with the Navy, he developed numerous innovative approaches to human resources challenges, including the Navy's first automated reduction in force system and an automated merit staffing system that was selected for Navywide implementation.