Dr. Katherine Schneider Joins Benetech Board of Directors
Philanthropic community leader and blind beneficiary of inclusive technology dedicates personal and professional perspective to impacting the lives of people with disabilities
PALO ALTO, Calif. — March 30, 2021 — Benetech, the leading software for social good nonprofit, today announced the appointment of Dr. Katherine Schneider to its Board of Directors. Schneider, a nationally recognized author, educator, advocate and philanthropist, will provide vision, innovation, and guidance for Benetech’s work bringing software for social good to inclusive education, AI for justice, and social impact technology. The Benetech board, which is currently comprised of 50% women, leverages collective expertise and leadership from a broad spectrum of sectors including technology, business, philanthropy, and law.
“Dr. Schneider’s lifetime commitment to inclusion, education and advocacy is invaluable to the Board’s oversight in ensuring the world’s information is accessible for all,” said Christy Chin, Chair of the of Benetech Board. “As a Bookshare user and author, Dr. Schneider’s perspective represents the people our organization strives to employ and serve. Katherine has a wealth of knowledge in supporting and celebrating people with disabilities. She is a role model for all of us who strive to provide solutions for inclusion and equity. Her passion for getting the right stuff right is squarely in alignment with Benetech’s truths in approaching complex social issues using technology.”
As the newest member of Benetech’s nine-person board of directors, Dr. Schneider looks forward to serving and providing strategic guidance around her personal and professional expertise to help Benetech deliver on its mission.
“Since becoming a Bookshare member in 2004, I have witnessed Benetech’s growth and impact on the lives of nearly a million people in the United States and around the world,” Schneider said. “With the spotlight that has been placed on inclusive and accessible education and employment due to the pandemic, I look forward to working with Benetech and its talented and determined staff to deliver on the promise of enabling access to information, a basic right for all.”
View all Benetech board member profiles at: https://benetech.org/about/leadership/board/
Background on Dr. Katherine Schneider
- Dr. Katherine Schneideris an author and has published a memoir To the Left of Inspiration: Adventures in Living with Disabilities; a children’s book, Your Treasure Hunt: Disabilities and Finding Your Gold; and two books for seniors, Occupying Aging: Delights, Disabilities and Daily Life; and Hope of the Crow: Tales of Occupying Aging (all available in Bookshare).
- She originated the Schneider Family Book Awards for children’s books with disability content through the American Library Association and established an award for superior journalism about disability issues through the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.
- Dr. Schneider also started the Access Eau Claire fund to help nonprofit organizations work toward full inclusion of people with disabilities.
- She serves on several boards including the Eau Claire County Board.
- Dr. Schneider is a retired clinical psychologist living in Eau Claire, WI, with her tenth Seeing Eye dog.
About Benetech
Benetech is a nonprofit that empowers communities with software for social good. Benetech’s work transforms how people with disabilities read and learn, enables human rights defenders and civilians to pursue truth and justice, and connects people to the services they need to live and prosper. Benetech is constantly pursuing the next big social impact. Visit www.benetech.org