Russ Schoen

Location: Chicago, IL

Fluency: English

New & Improved: Russ Schoen

Russ is a Partner at New & Improved where he works as a facilitator, speaker and trainer in the areas of deliberate creativity, innovation, high performance and change leadership. He has facilitated programs worldwide including programs in Singapore, Italy, Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the US.

A sampling of organizations to benefit from his training, on–going facilitation and speaking in the last few years include: T. Rowe Price, International Flavor & Fragrances, Kraft, Coca–Cola, TAP Pharmaceuticals, SC Johnson, Philips Electronics, Praxair, Discover, Kimberly–Clark, Zimmer and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Russ is a contributing author to a number of creative leadership related materials including the FourSight and Ingenious Thinking suite of materials. In addition, Russ is a lecturer at Northwestern University where he teaches graduate courses in leadership and adjunct faculty at the Center for Studies in Creativity where he teaches graduate courses in facilitating creative process.

Russ holds a Master of Science in Creativity, Innovation and Change Leadership from State University of New York at Buffalo and is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory specializing in improvisation. He is a specialist in the field of individual, team and organizational innovation and leadership and holds certifications in a number of additional training programs including Polarity Management and Emotional Intelligence. Russ also serves as a leader at the annual Creative Problem Solving Institute, the annual Creativity European Association conference in Italy and the Mindcamp Creativity Conference in Toronto.

In addition to his work with organizations, Russ is a co–founder of the Creative Youth Leadership Academy which helps train young people to adopt a mindset and apply a toolset to help them see more options in their lives and to make healthier choices.

When not working, Russ spends his free time in Chicago improvising, learning Italian and practicing aikido.