J. Derek McNeil received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He also earned a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. McNeil is a leader in the field of psychology, focusing his research on the identity development of African-American males, marital and family therapy and group dynamics. He has traveled nationally and internationally presenting workshops and seminars on these topics. He has worked as a clinician in private practice, a diversity advisor and coordinator, an organizational consultant and as an administrator. McNeil formerly served as an associate professor in the graduate school of psychology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and is a consultant and faculty specialist for Salter McNeil & Associates. He is currently senior vice president of academics at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. McNeil has authored chapters in several books including The Black Family: Past, Present and Future; Men to Men: Voices of African American Males and This Side of Heaven: Race, Ethnicity and Christian Faith.