Neal Askew was born and raised in Baytown, Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Business and Economics from Stephen F. Austin University and a master’s degree from Sam Houston University in police administration. Mr. Askew is a U.S. Army Veteran of the Vietnam Conflict and later served as an officer for the Houston Police Department. Mr. Askew began his own insurance and investment business that operated in 37 states and Canada, which he later sold to a Citigroup subsidiary in 1999. In 1997 he served as the Investment Committee Chairman on the Board of Trustees at Liberty University as endowment increased to over $1 billion, and entered the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer in 2009 during the rapid growth of Liberty University Online. He founded the Wimberley Education Foundation, served on the Wimberley ISD school board, and currently serves as a deacon for Wimberley First Baptist Church. Mr. Askew and his wife of 53 years, Anita, have two adult children and six grandchildren.