James R. Neal holds a Ph.D. in Nineteenth-Century U.S. history and an M.A. in Medieval history from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). From 2007 through 2013, Dr. Neal taught Humanities courses at Morrison University in Reno, NV as the senior humanities professor. His courses included History of Early Civilizations, Western Traditions, Logic, World Geography, American Government, and the History of Economic Thought. His primary historical research interests include the American Civil War, the German Empire, Medieval Europe, and Sumer. He is currently engaged in ongoing research in these areas as an independent scholar and teaches history part-time at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, NV in addition to his work with the VA.
Dr. Neal served in the U.S. Army (Infantry) for eleven years including tours in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), the 56th Field Artillery Command in West Germany guarding Pershing II Nuclear Missiles, three years in the Army National Guard, and again on active duty with the 6th (Arctic Light) Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division. He is currently the Chief of the Advanced Analytics staff with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. in charge of quality sampling & analysis. He previously served as a Program Analyst with the Department of Veterans Affairs and, before that, as a Management Analyst, Training Manager, and Veterans Service Representative at the Reno Regional Office.
Dr. Neal currently lives in Reno, NV with his wife, Helen, and their two dogs: Otto (a Brittany spaniel) and Freyja (a Great Pyrenees).
