Brad Schneider was born on August 20, 1961, in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Cherry Creek High School. In 1983. after receiving his B.A. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern, he took a break to work on a kibbutz in Israel. He later returned to the Chicago area to receive an M.B.A. from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 1988, and work for the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Schneider worked as the managing principal of the life insurance firm Davis Dann Adler Schneider, LLC, from 1997 until 2003, when he became the director of the strategic services group at Blackman Kallick. In 2008, he started his own consulting company, Cadence Consulting Group

He has served on the Jewish United Fund and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. He is also a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and has served as director of Business and Professional People for the Public Interest.

A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in 2012. In 2014, he lost his bid for reelection in a rematch against former Republican Congressman Robert Dold. Two years later, he defeated Dold in a second rematch. He won again in 2018.

Politically, Schneider is considered to be a moderate Democrat though he describes himself as a progressive. He said in a Chicago Magazine interview that: “I’m pragmatic and a moderate. I’m willing to work with any Republican, with anyone who has a good idea. I’m not going to compromise my principles to do so, but I think we can find that common ground.”

As a member of Congress, Schneider is focused on building a thriving economy that works for all of us, and ensuring every child has the opportunity for a quality education and a rising standard of living. He knows that our communities are stronger when small businesses invest and grow, our environment is healthy, and people are working together for a better future.

Schneider is concerned with protecting Medicare and Social Security, improving rather than repealing the Affordable Care Act, and passing sensible gun safety legislation.

At home, Schneider has deep ties to the community, including service with organizations such as the Jewish United Fund, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Waukegan Public Library Foundation, B.E.S.T., the Coalition to Reduce Recidivism, and the Civic Leadership Foundation.

In March 2025, a bipartisan group of U.S. House members led by Schneider and Max Miller (R-OH), has sent a letter urging the Nobel Committee to award the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an organization advocating for victims kidnapped by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups, the Nobel Peace Prize. The letter highlights the forum’s efforts to raise awareness about the hostages’ plight, emphasizing their humanity and the ongoing suffering of their families. It praises the forum’s work in advocating for the hostages, pursuing justice, and supporting the families, stressing the importance of acknowledging the dignity of every life in the face of terror. Several other lawmakers have signed the letter and supported Schneider’s formal nomination of the forum for the honor earlier this year.

He lives in Deerfield, Illinois with his wife Julie and their two sons, Adam and Daniel.

Sources: Schneider for Congress;
Chicago Magazine;
Congressman Brad Schneider;
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress;
Marc Rod, “Lawmakers nominate Hostages and Missing Families Forum for Nobel Peace Prize,” Jewish Insider, (March 27, 2025).