Boilermaker Alliance names David Neff as president and CEO

The Boilermaker Alliance took a big step forward in its evolution today, naming David Neff as its president and chief executive officer.

Neff will be the first full-time leader dedicated to running the Boilermaker Alliance, the exclusive name, image and likeness collective for Purdue. He will be based in Indianapolis.

“Dave Neff’s leadership appointment opens a dynamic new chapter for Boilermaker Alliance,” said Mark Carney, Chairman of the Boilermaker Alliance Board. “His broad experience in sports management and his track record of strategic leadership and brand development ideally positions us to uplift Purdue athletes in profound ways.”

A born and bred native of Indianapolis who graduated from Heritage Christian High, Neff cut his teeth working for Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) and ExactTarget (Salesforce). That equipped him with a unique blend of leadership and results-driven expertise.

“This was attractive to me because I’ve got a background in sports,” said Neff. “And the Purdue brand, just as a whole, I think is incredibly compelling and attractive. I just think there’s incredible people, incredible momentum.”

Neff, 39, also helped to co-found and become the first CEO of an emerging nonprofit headquartered in Indianapolis called EDGE Mentoring. He most recently worked in the private sector as chief revenue officer at Prolific, a global strategic growth and consulting firm.

Now, Neff’s focus and energy is on building the Boilermaker Alliance.

“College athletics has changed, it’s dynamic and it’s ever evolving,” said Neff. “And so without a robust collective, we’re putting our performance on the field and on the court at risk. This is here to stay and we need to lead from the present and to the future. We can’t lead from the past, so to speak.”

The Boilermaker Alliance was launched in July 2022.

“The Boilermaker Alliance’s success has an immediate and direct impact on our student-athletes and sports programs,” said Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski. “We are thrilled with the selection of such an impactful and accomplished professional in Dave Neff as the Alliance’s first president and CEO.”

What are Neff’s goals for BA?

“I think we have got to raise awareness, raise visibility, and educate the Purdue alumni base on why this is so critical,” said Neff.

“Secondly, we need to make sure everything we’re doing is above reproach. We’re doing it with character, integrity, and excellence. I really see Boilermaker Alliance as hopefully being one of the top 10-15 most well-run collectives in the country. And I think that’s doable.”

Neff’s message to prospective BA members.

“I would say join the membership,” said Neff. “Get involved. There are levels as low as $25 a month on up to $125 a month. The membership piece for us is huge as we continue to build out a broad base of support. You get access to some exclusive content and there are other things that are coming.

“The membership is huge and will become a sticky recurring revenue piece for us beyond the major donors and the corporate sponsor piece that we’ll be getting going here soon.”

Learn more about Boilermaker Alliance at boilermakeralliance.com.