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Neal Piper on Leadership at the Presidential Precinct

Written By Neal Piper

October 12, 2022

Nine years ago, I moved to Charlottesville, VA from Washington, DC for the opportunity of a lifetime: to get a promising startup, The Presidential Precinct, off the ground.

When Jim Murray shared his vision to invest in emerging leaders globally, I was immediately hooked. I had spent the previous 12 years working in healthcare across Africa and Asia and had seen firsthand the need to invest in leaders who were committed to good governance and economic development.

Little did I know we would turn a big idea into a thriving non-profit that has now hosted 82 unique programs and transformed the lives of nearly 1,300 leaders from 160 countries.

In the midst of building momentum for the Presidential Precinct, I was given news in 2019 that changed my life. My 3-year-old son, Noah, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor.

Fortunately, after 18 months of chemotherapy at the University of Virginia Hospital, Noah is healthy and cancer free. The Precinct Board, team, and alumni around the world have rallied to support my wife and me. This experience affirmed that in this organization, we have built more than just a nonprofit with a powerful mission — we have built a global family that steps up during times of need.

*(Left to right: Valeria, Saphia, Neal, and Noah)*

One of the most challenging parts of Noah’s care was his need for enteral nutrition. This required use of severely outdated technology, in effect limiting Noah to a sedentary lifestyle. I began to see an opportunity to prevent future children from having this same experience, and have now launched Luminoah, a medical device company dedicated to transforming care for millions of people through a wearable enteral feeding delivery system.

Luminoah will soon close on Series A financing, which will require that I step down as President & CEO of The Presidential Precinct and become full time CEO at Luminoah. This is a bittersweet moment for me, as I have a deep personal connection to both organizations and their work.

As a result of this transition, The Presidential Precinct Board has hired Lincoln Leadership, an executive search firm to recruit my replacement. I will personally be involved in the selection process and transition, and I will remain committed to the success of the Precinct as a member of the Board of Directors.

This transition provides an extraordinary opportunity to build on the success we have achieved together. I am a big believer that leaders should sprint to build and drive tremendous value over a finite period, then transition to allow new leadership to bring in new ideas for growth. As the Presidential Precinct approaches its 10-year anniversary, I am optimistic for a new chapter of transformative leadership programing.

I am grateful to Jim Murray, our Board of Directors, Global Advisory Council, fantastic team, partner organizations, donors, and alumni for entrusting me to lead this amazing organization. I have learned what great leadership means through each of you, and most importantly, I feel fortunate to be a part of this incredible family.