Brenna Schneider joined Ascentria in December of 2024 as the Chief Innovation and Business Development Officer, where she leads the charge in developing innovative solutions and pioneering new business and funding models to tackle systemic social challenges. A social entrepreneur, Brenna is passionate about creating lasting change through inclusive innovation. She brings more than a decade of experience in launching, scaling, and transforming mission-driven organizations.
Before joining Ascentria, Brenna founded and served as CEO of 99Degrees, a U.S. manufacturing social enterprise based in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Under her leadership, 99Degrees grew to employ a team of over 400, producing apparel and wearable technologies for some of the world’s leading brands. 99Degrees’ innovative approach to employer-led economic mobility was recognized with top prizes by MIT’s Inclusive Innovation Competition and business accelerators including MassChallenge.
Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, and the Boston Globe, and she has appeared on NPR and MSNBC. The Boston Globe named her a 2017 Game Changer in 2017, and a 2022 Tech Power Player.
Brenna holds an MBA in Social Impact Management from Brandeis University’s Heller School and a BA in International Studies and Economics from Washington College.
When not at work, she loves to spend time with her family hiking in the White Mountains, volunteering, working on creative projects, and digging in the dirt.
