Joel Neeb is currently the VP of Execution and Transformation in the Office of the CEO at VMware, the fourth largest software company in the world. He led a cultural and operational transformation for their 40,000 employees as they transitioned to become a software-as-a-service (SaaS) leader. Under Joel's leadership, VMware achieved its $5Bn SaaS revenue goal a full year ahead of schedule. He developed a strategic execution model that ensured completion of the top company initiatives while retaining 99% of key talent, in a group that had 25% attrition the year prior. He achieved these objectives while simultaneously guiding VMware through the largest tech acquisition in history, as they were acquired by Broadcom.
He was previously the CEO of Afterburner Inc, a 30-year-old consulting firm. He led a team of over 100 strategy execution consultants to achieve top client objectives while fostering elite teams for Fortune 100 companies and professional sports teams. As President/CEO, he led the company to twice achieve Inc 5000 status as one of the fastest growing companies in the world by increasing revenue 60% for two consecutive years. Additionally, Forbes named Afterburner one of America’s top 25 small businesses.
Joel is a former F-15 mission commander, United States Air Force. He continued to go by his pilot callsign, “Thor,” in his business career. As a pilot, he’s escorted the US President and led missions to ensure the sanctity of the United States after the attacks of 9/11. He was the tactical leader of 300 of the most senior combat pilots in the Air Force and oversaw the execution of a $150M/year flight program. Joel was named the Top Instructor Pilot of 1200 senior pilots at the Air Force Flight Training Headquarters in 2010. In 2012, he was selected out of 62,000 people to receive the National Public Service Award.
In 2010, Joel was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and given a fifteen percent chance of recovery. During treatment, Joel founded Motivate Our Students Texas (MOST), a community outreach program for at-risk students in San Antonio. This program has helped more than 15,000 children to date. Additionally, he co-authored the award-winning book, Survivor’s Obligation, released in October 2019, to tell the lessons of his cancer journey and his resolve to live an intentional life. His book was granted the Benjamin Franklin Award for top memoirs of 2019.
Joel was the President of the Atlanta chapter of Young President’s Organization (YPO), he sits on the board of several global organizations, and is the co-founder of a military support corporation, PCSgrades.
Joel holds a BS in systems engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an MBA from the University of Texas. Joel enjoys competing in sporting events; he completed the New Zealand Ironman Triathlon in 2015 and was a contestant on American Ninja Warrior in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children.
