EP. 24 One foot in front of the other… how Dr. Nicole Neal managed family, job, community service, and additional degrees. Now she wants to help other women realize their dreams.

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Dr. Nicole Neal, who pursued additional degrees while still focusing on her career, community and family.  She also aims to help other women with her new non-profit H.E.R. – Heal, Empower, Reclaim. Nicole F. Neal, PhD, MA Nicole is the director of data management & operations at the American Medical Association (AMA).  She leads the team responsible for procuring, adding value to, and ensuring the accuracy of the professional credentialing data for the more than 1.6M allopathic, osteopathic, and International physicians who practice medicine in the US.  No small feat, Nicole has committed much of her 33 years with the AMA to this work.  In 2016, Nicole was one of three recipients of the AMA Health Solutions “Peak” award which is given by the group’s senior leadership in recognition of outstanding performance. In addition to her more than 3 decades at the AMA, Nicole has a long list of educational accolades.  She earned a PhD in psychology from Capella University.  She has a master’s degree in organizational development, a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership, graduate certificates in training & development, instructional design, and human performance improvement from Roosevelt University.  And, if that were not enough, Nicole continues to seek opportunities to develop in her role at the AMA and well as in other endeavors. Outside of the AMA and her family life, Nicole looks for ways to contribute to and improve her community.  She was an active board member of the South Suburban Family Shelter (SSFS) which is a regional domestic violence organization. While there, she participated in and contributed to many events including the Adopt-a-Family (AAF) program which helped families displaced by domestic violence and experiencing hardship during the holiday season.  She continues to support this cause as an advisory board member.  Nicole has had memberships and/or affiliations with the American Association of Medical Society Executives (AAMSE), the American Association of Professional Women (AAPW), and the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi). Nicole recently founded Heal, Empower, Reclaim Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to, through a theory-based approach to leadership development, supporting the positive psychosocial development of minority, and underrepresented women as they mature into prolific ladies, leaders, and legacies.  The overarching goal of HER, Inc., is to help minority women to identify, prepare for and achieve their leadership purpose. You can follow Dr. Nicole Neal on LinkedIn. Read the transcript here.