Joseph Neal

My Greatest Accomplishment

I have had the opportunity to work on groundbreaking products in respiratory, autoimmune and oncology to deliver health and wellness to patients globally in my career in biopharmaceuticals. Due to this experience and my roles at biopharma companies, I was positioned to support the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines from the start of the global pandemic. I worked to bring three different COVID-19 vaccines to the world and directly partnered with governments and international organizations worldwide to bend the curve of the pandemic. From my seat in the supply chain, both at manufacturing sites as well as global roles, I helped to supply billions of doses to help save an estimated 20 million lives worldwide in the first year of vaccinations alone. While this is a wonderful career accomplishment, my greatest accomplishment will always be my two sons and the family my wife and I have built together these past 16 years.

How Drexel Helped Me

I often reflect on my time at Drexel and how it has shaped who I am today as a husband, father, worker, teammate and leader, particularly throughout these last remarkably difficult years. I can unequivocally say that Drexel provided me with more than a foundation in technical and critical thinking skills — it taught me how to balance stress, uncertainty, a job and a personal life, which most individuals don’t get to practice until after they graduate. It set me apart from my peers and unlocked mentoring and coaching opportunities at my co-op experiences that have continued to this day. Having a blended school/work experience also allowed me to craft my education plans toward what I needed to be successful in industry: technical, business and communication skills. Drexel’s model kicked off my lifelong love of continuously learning and applying new things at work the next day.

Where I Hope to Be in Five Years

I hope to be continuing to deliver life-changing therapies and medications to patients globally while also reshaping how patients gain equitable access to treatments and care they need.

How I Pay It Forward

Drexel taught me that taking risks on inexperienced, but eager-to-learn individuals is always a risk worth taking. Remembering that each of us is a reflection and product of the people who helped us along the way shapes the way I support students, young professionals and others around me. I believe this is the heart of the co-op experience and the debt that I owe to those who invested in me while expecting nothing in return. I seek to do the same and have had the privilege of having at least one — and often more — co-ops or interns working alongside me every year since leaving Drexel. Each of them is flourishing in their own careers and I am proud to be among their own personal board of advisers as they mentor the next generation.