Russ Schoen

Russ is a Partner at NEW & IMPROVED where he works as a facilitator and trainer in the areas of creative thinking, problem-solving, team-building and leadership. Russ is also a founding partner of Marathon Creative, a Chicago-based organization dedicated to enhancing leadership, communication and problem-solving skills among youth. Recently, he helped launch DIVE into Life, a training program for high school students focusing on diversity, innovation, values and education.

Clients who have benefited from his training, facilitation and Innovative Brain include: Acme Electric, Allstate, Dupont, Kraft, Roche, Tenneco, Avery-Dennison, and the University at Buffalo.

Russ holds a Master of Science degree in Creativity and Innovation from the State University of New York and helps organizations develop creative solutions by drawing on his extensive education in psychology and a background in improvisation as a graduate of the Player’s Workshop of the Second City.

A leader at both the annual Creative Problem Solving Institute and the Leadership & Healthy Lifestyles Camp sponsored by the Creative Education Foundation, Russ recently spent three months as a volunteer in Tanzania, Africa and lives in Chicago. He spends his free time traveling, improvising with Second City, playing tennis and listening to the Beatles.