Laura Neal joined Cassidy & Associates in 1988. She previously served in the offices of U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Peter W. Rodino (D-NJ) from 1983 to 1984. She then served as Administrator, Federal Government Relations for The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) from 1984 to 1987. At ASME, Ms. Neal was in charge of their Congressional Fellows program and was responsible for energy, pension, and various other issues affecting the engineering community. Immediately prior to joining Cassidy & Associates, she was a fundraising assistant and program coordinator in the Development office at The Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Ms. Neal received her B.A. in American Studies from Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC and her M.A. in American Literature from the Catholic University of America.