Dr. Jennifer Schneider, ceo of Homeward

Dr. Jennifer Schneider is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Homeward, a pioneering healthcare company dedicated to closing the access gap for rural communities in America. Homeward partners with local providers, health plans, and community groups to bring affordable and technology-enabled care to underserved areas. As a certified B Corporation and public benefit corporation, Homeward holds itself accountable for patient outcomes and for reducing the total cost of care.

Since its founding, the company has grown rapidly under Dr. Schneider’s leadership, raising more than $70 million and now serving over 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries across states such as Michigan and Minnesota. Her leadership reflects both personal experience and a broader vision ensuring geography no longer determines the quality of healthcare people receive.

2. Early Life and Education

Born and raised in Winona, Minnesota, Dr. Schneider grew up in a small town where her family ran a local auto parts business. This upbringing rooted her in community values and gave her an early understanding of the challenges rural families face. At the age of 12, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which required her to travel hours for specialized care. That personal struggle became the seed for her lifelong mission to make healthcare more accessible for underserved populations.

She pursued higher education with remarkable determination. After earning her bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of the Holy Cross, she completed her M.D. at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Schneider then undertook a residency in internal medicine at Stanford University, where she also earned a master’s degree in Health Services Research. This combination of clinical expertise and system-level analysis shaped her unique perspective on healthcare innovation.

Career Journey in Healthcare and Technology

Dr. Schneider began her professional career practicing medicine, but soon recognized the larger opportunities technology could bring to healthcare delivery. Her first major leadership role was at Castlight Health, where she served as Chief Medical Officer and contributed to shaping digital health transparency tools during the company’s IPO stage.

She later joined Livongo Health, a company focused on chronic condition management, where she rose to the role of President. At Livongo, Dr. Schneider led the organization through its record-breaking IPO and ultimately through the landmark $18.5 billion merger with Teladoc Health, one of the largest deals in the digital health space. This cemented her reputation as a leader capable of blending clinical insight with technology and business growth.

4. Founding Homeward: A Personal Mission

Despite her success at Livongo, Dr. Schneider felt called to address a deeper problem: the rural healthcare crisis. She co-founded Homeward with the conviction that rural communities needed a new model one built on local trust, affordability, and modern technology.

At Homeward, the care model rests on three pillars:

Value-based care – taking full accountability for outcomes and costs, particularly for Medicare beneficiaries.

Technology-enabled delivery – using virtual tools, mobile care units, and in-home visits to reach patients regardless of broadband limitations.

Community partnerships – embedding services within the fabric of local communities, from working with pharmacies to using retail parking lots as mobile clinics.

This hybrid approach allows Homeward to deliver quality care where traditional systems have failed. For Dr. Schneider, it’s not just a company but a personal mission to ensure rural patients no longer face the same barriers she once experienced.

Recognition and Impact

Dr. Schneider’s leadership has been recognized nationally. She has been named among Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare and was included in Inc.’s 2025 Female Founders 500, honoring women reshaping industries.

Beyond her role at Homeward, she also mentors the next generation of women leaders through initiatives like Home[ward] Grown, designed to support female founders in healthcare. She sits on the boards of companies including Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Maven Clinic, and Jasper Health, where her expertise continues to shape the broader healthcare landscape.