Afterburner, Inc., announced that effective July 1, Joel “Thor” Neeb, its current president, began serving as CEO of the company. Neeb replaces James D. “Murph” Murphy, Afterburner’s founder and previous CEO. Murphy will continue to serve as chairman of the board. Since its inception in 1996, Afterburner has provided training and team building, consulting and inspirational keynote speakers to help organizations build high-performing teams.

Neeb joined Afterburner in 2012, and has acted as president since 2015, leading more than 70 military professionals in achieving strategic objectives and fostering elite teams for Fortune 100 companies in multiple industries, as well as professional sports teams. Additionally, Neeb initiated Afterburner’s expansion into transformational business consulting. This focus developed into Afterburner’s newest business unit, Impact Consulting Offering, where Afterburner’s team works along-side clients to identify challenges and improve performance.

“Thor’s intensity and determination has evolved Afterburner from an events-based business to include hands-on, deep-dive consulting significantly boosting the bottom line for our clients,” said Murphy. “We’re changing the face of the way some of these big companies do their work, and it’s been super exciting. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Neeb is a former F-15 mission commander, United States Air Force. He holds a BA from the USAF Academy, an MA from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from the University of Texas. He is a former USAF instructor pilot as well as co-founder of CureCare, a cancer support charity in San Antonio.

“I’m taking the wheel of a Ferrari that Murph has built from the ground up and maintained for 23 years,” said Neeb. “Murph has been pivotal in building this industry of translating specialized military skills into business results, and thereby establishing Afterburner’s foundation of success. I hope to continue this trajectory and create even more possibilities with our community of high achievers.”