Ryan Schneider '93

Brother Schneider currently resides in California with his wife, Stephanie, and their daughter, Audra. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1996 with a degree in journalism, and a minor in business. During his undergraduate years, Ryan served as GS and GP, created a PR officer role his senior year, and handled press outreach for the fraternity house opening.

On the Arizona campus, Ryan was a sports reporter for the Daily Wildcat (’92-’95), where he was the youngest staff sports reporter at the time. Ryan capped his first year in Tucson with University of Arizona Freshman Man of the Year (’92) honors, followed by Chi Omega’s Junior Man of the Year (’95).

After graduation, Ryan’s first job out of UA was with a Southern California-based boutique PR and marketing firm called Cooley & Company. He noticed this job opportunity by scanning the quarterly national Kappa Sigma magazine for news updates, and saw that Brother Todd Cooley (Delta-Eta/USC) had opened his own PR firm. Ryan wrote to him asking to be hired as his first employee, and is forever grateful for Brother Cooley giving him his big break.

Ryan’s career then included stints working for firms like Porter Novelli, Bragman Nyman Cafarell Entertainment Lifestyle Marketing and BSMG Worldwide (Weber Shandwick today). For the last near-15 years, Ryan has held a variety of marketing, community and public relations positions at independent videogames developer Insomniac Games. He’s currently serving as the studio’s chief brand officer.

Ryan has been recognized on many occasions, such as being Employee of the Year at BSMG Worldwide/Los Angeles, 40 under 40 in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, a Perkins Award winner with noted business author and blogger Seth Godin’s AltMBA leadership workshop, and many more. Within his community, Ryan led a fundraising drive for video gamesthemed entertainment centers to be installed at children’s hospitals on behalf of Starlight Children’s Foundation. Ryan is also an accomplished triathlete and endurance sports coach, recently starting his own boutique coaching practice, Good Wolf Coaching (www.goodwolfcoaching.com).

Ryan has spoken at Kappa Sigma chapter events over the years since graduating. When asking Ryan about what Gamma-Rho and Kappa Sigma mean to him, he states,“Gamma-Rho provided me a safe zone to figure out what kind of person I wanted to be after leaving my parents’ home for college.

“I grew up in a fairly sheltered small town, suburban environment, and entered the University of Arizona with a naive and limited world view. Joining a fraternity as diverse as Gamma-Rho changed my life by opening me up to a wider range of thought and opinion that extended far beyond what a classroom could teach. I don’t remember specifics from a lot of those classes, to be honest. But I DO remember iconic members of the fraternity who regularly challenged my assumptions and ultimately made me a better, more well-rounded person. The kind of person I have become proud to see in the mirror. Guys like George Jenson, Matt Noble, Ragnar Rasmussen, Blake Kuehn, Jeff Ross, Carter Crow, Brad Tofel, Eric Wein, and Dan Rubin were particularly influential at the time.

“My journey towards true adulthood started at Gamma-Rho. I’m forever grateful. At a larger Kappa Sigma level, I still think about the Star & Crescent and how to live a life that is filled with zeal yet humble. There is so much wisdom in the Star & Crescent that it continues to serve as a personal North Star far more often than I ever would have expected when I took my oath on Initiation Day.”