Joel Neeb

VP of Execution and Transformation

Joel Neeb is the VP of Execution and Transformation in the Office of the CEO at VMWare, where he is helping to accelerate a cultural and operating model renaissance at the software giant.

He was previously the CEO of the 30-year-old consulting firm, Afterburner Inc. He led more than 100 former elite military professionals, including fighter pilots, Navy SEALS, and Army Rangers, in achieving strategic objectives and fostering elite teams for Fortune 100 companies and professional sports teams. As President/CEO, he led the team to twice achieve Inc 5000 status as one of the fastest growing companies in the world by increasing revenue by 60% for two consecutive years while CEO. Additionally, Forbes named Afterburner Inc 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 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 story 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 is the President of the Atlanta chapter of Young President’s Organization (YPO), he sits on the board of several national organizations, and is the co-founder of a military support corporation, PCSgrades.

Joel holds a BA 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, and 2022. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children.