Derek Neal joined the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation (VPEDI) office as Visiting Assistant Director of Communications in January of 2025.
Derek develops and executes communications, website and social media initiatives for the Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation (VPEDI) office and the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), helping to tell the story of the University of Illinois System’s innovation pipeline and economic development efforts. Derek also acts as a liaison between Illinois-based corporate, government, community, and university stakeholders to enhance connections, drive economic development and foster entrepreneurship.
Previously, Derek spent 4.5 years as a communications partner for Carle Health, where he developed s
Before his stint at Carle Health, Derek was Assistant Director of Athletics Communication at the University of Illinois, where he spent 18 years (2002-2020) coordinating publicity for a number of Fighting Illini teams. Most notably, Derek spent 15 years as the Fighting Illini football communications contact and nine years as assistant men’s basketball contact, handling day-to-day communications duties (website, recaps, game notes, photos, interview requests, etc.) as well as managing all official social media accounts for the football and men’s basketball programs, which combined to reach over 500,000 followers at that time. He worked with the 2004-05 Final Four basketball team, and five different football bowl teams, including the 2008 Rose Bowl squad.
Derek is an alumnus of Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.