Golf for Good 2024
Register Now
99 Quentin Roosevelt Blvd. Suite 200, Garden City, NY 11530
+1 (516) 539 0150
+1 (516) 539 0160

EAC Network Appoints Neela Mukherjee Lockel, MSW, MPA, as New President and CEO

EAC Network Appoints Neela Mukherjee Lockel, MSW, MPA, as New President and CEO

Neela Mukherjee Lockel, MSW, MPA has been appointed as EAC Network’s new President and Chief Executive Officer.

Since 2016 Neela served as the Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross on Long Island, where she oversaw Red Cross activities across Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and sat on the Regional Leadership Team of Greater New York. She facilitated the Regional Board Diversity Committee, and was a member of the Advanced Public Affairs Training Team and the American Red Cross LEAD, an internal leadership development program. She has deployed to Red Cross disaster responses for Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2018) and the California Wildfires (2017), and also sat as the Interim Regional CEO  for the Maine Region to lead the team through a merger into the Northern New England Region.

“Neela is the right leader to build upon EAC Network’s powerful and lasting legacy,” said Richard M. Kessel, EAC Network’s Chairman of the Board. “Her extensive background in the non-profit sector and business development expertise will help guide EAC Network in further strengthening its mission. Our Board looks forward to working together with Neela, and our highly dedicated executive team and professional staff, in ensuring the sustainability of our organization and delivering solutions that meet the changing and growing needs of our region’s most vulnerable populations.”

Kessel added, “We thank Tania Peterson Chandler for her extraordinary leadership as Interim President & CEO/Vice President of Operations since Lance W. Elder’s departure. In spite of the many challenges presented to EAC Network during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tania continually identified innovative ways for our organization to deliver its critically needed programs and direct support services to people in need. We are truly grateful for her dedication in making our work possible, and thank our staff for their commitment to fulfilling our mission.”

Neela Mukherjee Lockel said, “I am absolutely honored to have the opportunity to rejoin the EAC network as its new President & CEO. The EAC Network provides vital services to individuals, families and communities across much of the greater New York region. I look forward to working with the board and the leadership to guide the organization through the tail end of the Covid-19 crisis, and into a bright, strong future for our clients, the community, and of course, our staff and supporters.”

Neela has over 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Before coming to the Red Cross, she served as the Founding Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Long Island. Prior to assuming this role in 2012, she worked in academia as an adjunct instructor at Stony Brook University and served as the Director of the Office of Continuing Education for the Adelphi University School of Social Work as well as a Director of Programs at the EAC Network. She has also consulted with several organizations for strategic planning and program development.

Neela has been recognized numerous times for her achievements by several organizations including the City and State’s 50 Most Powerful People on Long Island, Long Island Press Power List, 40 Under 40 and Top 50 Women in Business by Long Island Business News, the Leadership Award from the Shanti Fund, and a Young Professionals Award from the American Heart Association.

Originally from New Jersey, Neela is now a resident of Suffolk County. She received an MPA in Public and Non-Profit Management from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service, an MSW from Fordham University, and a BA from Bates College. Neela is a Partner (2015) and Member of the Board of Advisors for the Energeia Partnership through Molloy College, and holds Executive Leadership Certificates from both Fordham University and Adelphi University’s Center for Non-Profit Leadership. She is appointed to the Board of Directors for the Middle Country Library Foundation, and the LIPA Community Advisory  Board.

Neela is happily married to Dennis Lockel, retired NYPD, and has two children, Dylan and Dalilah in South Setauket, NY. She loves people, cooking, wellness, yoga, and Sundays at home.

Special Thanks