Karen Neal

Karen Neal serves as Owner and CEO of Aspen and Head of Partnership at YL, a supplier company in the roofing industry. She acts as one of the distributors covering the East Coast and maintains membership in Contractor Nation. Originally from Venezuela, Neal attended medical school and built a career as a compassion therapist, advancing to specialist in sensor integration and head of her rehabilitation department. After immigrating to the United States following difficult circumstances in her home country, she restarted her professional life, first managing the largest fleet at Kenworth before entering the roofing sector. There she progressed from assistant to manager and then director in under six years, applying her background in psychology to excel in recruiting and team management. Neal holds a national board position with the Hispanic Council of National Women in Roofing, where she supports a nonprofit initiative offering free education and training to women in the trades. She also develops projects for young people entering the trades through partnerships such as the School of Entrepreneurship and organizes the annual Win the Storm conference. Her efforts emphasize inclusion, including the creation of the Latino Lounge at major conferences to support Spanish-speaking contractors, and she actively encourages women to pursue multiple professional paths without limitation.