After graduating from Oklahoma schools and attending college, Cynthia Neff opened a small business with a friend and became active in a number of local merchant and business associations. She was hired by IBM in 1981 and was employed there for the next 25 years. In that time, she worked in a number of managerial and executive capacities for the company, retiring as Vice President of Human Resources in 2006 to Albermarle County. She is currently active in the community, serving as the chair of the AIDS/HIV Services Group Board of Directors and on the Advisory Board of the Legal Aid Justice Center, among others. Cynthia also serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, working with abused and endangered children.

Citing concerns over repeated failures of the Republican-controlled General Assembly to address community concerns such as education, transportation, and the economy, Cynthia announced her intention to run for the House of Delegates in March, 2009. She has made her extensive business experience a central focus of her campaign.

Cynthia Neff received the Democratic nomination for the 58th District on May 11, 2009. She also reported nearly $90,000 raised in the reporting cycle ending May 31, marking the first time incumbent Delegate Rob Bell has been outraised since first being elected to office nearly eight years ago.

Specifically, Cynthia has made education, transportation, and the economy the central issues of her campaign. In August, 2009, she launched a listening tour of the district, holding town hall-style meetings on education in Greene, Fluvanna, and Albemarle counties and listening to the concerns of citizens in the district on education while sharing her ideas with voters. She plans to officially roll out her education policy proposals and endorsements at a press conference on September 9 at Woodbrook Elementary School.