Neely is a professor of Ceramics at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, USA since 1984. With a BFA from Alfred University and an MFA from Ohio University, he also worked in Japan for many years, including two years as a Ministry of Culture Postgraduate Fellow at Kyoto University of the Arts. Since 1975, he has exhibited and lectured in the U.S., Europe and around the Pacific Rim. Most of his work is intended for the tabletop or kitchen.