Senator Gerald A. Neal represents District 33 in Jefferson County, Kentucky, primarily Louisville. Born on September 22, 1945, in Louisville, he is an attorney and the longest-serving African American member of the Kentucky General Assembly, first elected to the Kentucky Senate in 1989 and re-elected consecutively since. He is the first African American man elected to the Kentucky State Senate and the second African American to serve District 33. Neal serves as Minority Leader of the Kentucky Senate and previously as Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman , the first African American in a Kentucky legislative leadership role. Notable achievements include sponsoring the KCHIP program for children's health coverage, legislation for equal educational opportunities, the African American Heritage Commission, and constitutional amendments against racial segregation, profiling, and biased prosecutions. He founded the Kentucky Education Reform African American and All Children’s Caucus and has advocated for seniors, youth, minorities, education, healthcare, and penal reform.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Kentucky State University ; Juris Doctor from University of Louisville; attended University of Michigan.
• Early Career: Practicing lawyer at his own firm in Louisville; Senior Fellow of Public Policy and professor at University of Louisville teaching history, government, health policy, and civil rights law; President of Kentucky National Bar Association ; vice president, regional director, and parliamentarian of National Bar Association; served as assistant director of Public Health and Safety for Louisville, hearing officer for State Workers’ Compensation Board, and juvenile probation officer.
• Political Experience: Elected to Kentucky Senate District 33 ; Senate committees include Education, Judiciary, Appropriations & Revenue, Natural Resources & Energy, Committee on Committees, and Rules; caucuses include Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus, Louisville Metropolitan Caucus, and others; early roles include Metropolitan Sewer District board , school board steering committee , and Walter Mondale coordinating committee .