Neil Peterson is a speaker, author, public servant, entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of the Edge Foundation.
Over the course of his career, he has worked across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
He served as CEO of major public transportation systems in Seattle, Oakland/East Bay, and Los Angeles County, and was an early founder of Flexcar, now known as Zipcar.
More than twenty years ago, he founded the Edge Foundation, which provides one-on-one coaching to help students develop executive function skills.
He leads the Edge Foundation, a nonprofit built around a simple idea: every young person should have the opportunity to work with a coach who helps them develop their executive function skills—the planning, organization, and follow-through that make learning and independence possible. At the same time, every adult who wants to give back should have the opportunity to be trained to become that coach, particularly for young people facing executive function challenges.
He is the author of Embracing the Edge and has written more than 500 blog essays exploring what he calls “the power of moments.”
These reflections are grounded in a simple observation:
Small moments—when someone listens, asks a question, or offers guidance—can change the direction of a life.
What Matters Most
Of all his roles, Neil is most proud of being a father to six children and grandfather to eleven.
