Neil Brockway

Neil Brockway is the Director of Disaster Risk Reduction at the American Red Cross. In this role, he oversees the Community Adaptation Program, which aims to transform how communities on the front lines of the climate crisis prepare, respond, and recover from disasters that are increasing in both magnitude and frequency. Beyond managing the day-to-day operations, he is also one of the thought leaders responsible for the design and strategic development of the program. Neil leads the forward movement of the Community Adaptation Program, providing a national support framework for climate adaptation intentionally designed to be led at the community level.

Neil’s 16-year career with the American Red Cross began in 2007 as a Disaster Specialist for the Chisholm Trail Chapter in Fort Worth, Texas. Since then, he has served in several disaster positions within the Dallas Area Chapter and spent three years as a Division Disaster Director, covering Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. In this capacity, he was responsible for supporting Red Cross capacity building and initiating responses to large-scale disasters. In 2016, Neil relocated to New England to serve as the Regional Disaster Officer, overseeing all facets of disaster response—from home fires to floods and extreme weather events—for the Connecticut & Rhode Island Region.

Neil is also a Director on the American Red Cross National Response Management Team and has served in leadership positions for numerous large disaster relief operations including Hurricane Ida, Hurricane Laura, the Northern California Wildfires, Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Maria, and Hurricane Harvey.

These experiences have significantly shaped the Community Adaptation Program, fueling Neil’s determination to ensure that communities on the front lines of the climate crisis have the autonomy to define what resilience and adaptation mean for them.

Neil currently resides in Connecticut with his husband, Joseph, and their emotionally-manipulative border collie, Bear.