Super excited to be sharing this episode of the Team Powdered Donut™ podcast with Paula Schneider, now the honorary vice chair of Susan G. Komen as she transitions out of her role these past eight years as CEO. Two things as I drop this episode at the beginning of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. First, as I look back on my first 12 or so episodes of this podcast, I feel so incredibly privileged for my guests to be sharing their stories with me and with each of you, my listeners. Second, as you will discover from this episode with Paula, as I listen to all my guests' stories, I realize how incredibly important it is for us to listen to our own hearts. That is truly the essence of Team Powdered Donut. As I like to say, this podcast and the road trip ahead are all about "One Story. One Moment. One Donut at a Time."
Paula has an incredible story from her career in fashion to her own journey through breast cancer to her leadership at Susan G. Komen. She has indeed kept love strong and has made a dent in both cancer and cancer research. That dent matters deeply to me. I do what I do with cancer advocacy, and with this podcast and road trip because my love for my late wife, Maureen, was and remains strong. For those coming together in San Antonio now, know how much I love each of you, especially the patients and patient advocates. You are incredibly important to me, and I am thankful to Paula for sharing her story and for her leadership at Komen to make a dent in cancer because that dent means another day of life for those faced by this disease.
Love Stays Strong (Available at Amazon)
Who Is Paula Schneider?
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, and having lost her mother to metastatic breast cancer, Schneider’s work is personal as she brings a unique combination of business expertise and real-world perspective to Komen’s mission as CEO.
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. 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. 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, Google AI Cancer Symposium 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 and CEO Connection.
In 2025, Paula became an author, publishing the children's book Love Stays Strong alongside Penguin Random House. Inspired by her own experience with breast cancer, the book is about the strength of a family’s love, especially during times of illness.