Leader, Survivor, Luminary

Paula Schneider is honorary vice chair of Susan G. Komen®. From 2017-2025 Paula served as president & CEO of Susan G. Komen and was responsible for day-to-day operations, strategic direction, and was accountable for the world’s largest breast cancer organization. 

As a breast cancer survivor, mother of two daughters and having lost her own mother to metastatic breast cancer, Paula’s work is personal as she brings a unique combination of business expertise and real-world perspective to Komen’s mission.

During her tenure, Schneider led Komen through a critical period, transforming Komen’s national network of local affiliate organizations into a single, unified entity to increase efficiency and impact across the country. Under her leadership, Komen accelerated research, advocacy, community outreach and patient care, leaving the organization well-positioned for future success. To date, Komen has invested more than $3.5 billion in these critical areas, advancing its mission to save lives and to prevent and cure breast cancer.

Schneider continues to serve the organization using her renowned and respected voice to support the urgent mission to end deaths from breast cancer in our lifetime.

Schneider is widely regarded as a business expert in organizational management and finance. Prior to Komen, she served as CEO of American Apparel, which was the largest vertically integrated clothing manufacturer in the U.S. with over 8,500 employees and 600 retail stores internationally. In this role, she navigated one of the most notable turnarounds in the retail sector, executing and emerging from prearranged Chapter 11 proceedings while burgeoning the brand’s importance. She previously served as president of the Warnaco Swimwear Group, the largest swimwear company in the world, with brands such as Speedo and Calvin Klein. As these were each public entities, her responsibilities comprised all facets of corporate governance and business oversight to include maximizing operational efficiencies, developing relevant marketing strategies and producing inspirational product offerings. Subsequently, Schneider became a senior advisor at the private equity firm, The Gores Group, where she created platform strategies for best-in-class operations and potential acquisitions. Schneider became the first female CEO in The Gores Group’s portfolio of companies.

Schneider is a sought-after public speaker on impactful leadership and women’s health. She has been a featured speaker at such thought leadership events as Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, Yahoo! Finance, Women in Retail, Milken Institute, SXSW and Dreamforce. She was recognized as one of the 2025 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market by CEO Connection. She was also named one of the top 100 Influential Women in Oncology Key Opinion Leaders by OncoDaily. Schneider is currently a member and keynote speaker of C200, the preeminent global organization for the advancement of women business leaders. She also serves on the Bloomberg New Economy Forum’s International Cancer Coalition and is a member of Fast Company’s Impact Council. 

CONTACT 

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