Patricia Neal

A thought leader with more than 20 years of experience in leadership and people development, Patricia Neal is co-founder and president of Center for Purposeful Leadership (CPL). She is passionate about the power of convening, love and beauty as transformative practices. Patricia works at the intersection of individual and organizational change, where she collaborates with individuals, teams and organizations to increase their positive impact in the world in a way that feels inspired and alive. She does this through lovingly curated, high-impact experiences; workshops, retreats, and courses; and speaking.

Patricia’s focus is inspiring CPL’s growth through program development and execution of CPL’s signature programs: the Art of Convening® Trainings (of which Patricia is co-founder), Whole Person Leadership, Collaborative Leadership model and toolkit, and consulting and coaching programs. Patricia is co-author of “The Art of Convening: Authentic Engagement in Meetings, Gatherings, and Conversations,” and founder of Whole Person Leadership programs. All CPL programs are dedicated to creating a world that works for all.

Through her experiences she found a passion for convening with those of all ages, but her interests flourished in working with organizations and companies around her. With 25+ years of working with entrepreneurial start-ups and community organizing, Patricia has had broad experience in convening, marketing and organizational operations. She held positions at Telemedia Communications, successfully launching two national magazines, Garden Way Mfg. Inc., and DeepRock Mfg. She has coached and prepared executives for the Thought Leader Gatherings and Transformational Leaders Collaboratory for 15 years.

Patricia is trained in and utilizes a variety of convening, facilitation and community management methods. These include The Art of Convening Practicum Trainings and Certifications, Six Initiatives of Transformation, coaching for ROI, C-IQ Conversational Intelligence for Coaches, True North Groups Institute, Twin Cities R!SE Personal Empowerment facilitator training, World Café, ToP Core Competencies, Open Space, and Presencing/Theory U.

Patricia believes in the value of giving back to the community and serving as a leader to all around her. She is co-founder of the Conscious Business Alliance, was a founding board member and is now an Advisory Council member of Honoring Women Worldwide, and served as a founding board member of Women’s Congress for Future Generations Conferences and the Positive Coaching Alliance Minn. Chapter. She is a continuing active member of the National Association of Professional Women and National Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation. She has also been an instrumental influence in the development and progression of three Waldorf Schools.

In her free time, Patricia enjoys being the mother of three children, grandmother of three amazing human beings, reading and competing as a sprint triathlete. The YWCA Sprint Triathlon for Women is an annual goal—and this is year seven!