JENNY SCHMIDT
CO-FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL
Jenny co-founded Ravenyard after finding herself on the client side of traditional crisis management services and knowing there had to be a better way. Crisis is chaotic and disorienting. What people need in those moments is structure, and someone to guide them through the process with both empathy and the business experience to understand the complex interdependencies and organizational tradeoffs at stake.
A brand strategist at heart, Jenny believes in the power of a well-crafted narrative to illuminate, inspire, and clarify. Crisis, after all, is fundamentally a story — and the way it gets told shapes everything that follows. Jenny’s professional background spans brand strategy and communications across finance, non-profit, and natural foods. Over the course of her career she has built and positioned brands, managed stakeholder communications across multiple channels, and turned complicated, often sensitive subject matter into compelling messaging.
Those who work with Jenny often describe her as an anchor of calm in the middle of chaos — someone who becomes sharper, not shakier, when the pressure mounts. That steadiness is backed by deep training. As a both a certified coach and certified grief educator, she understands that crisis isn’t just a communications problem, it’s a human one.
Jenny holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Wesleyan University.
FAST FACTS
MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Certified Professional Coach, Martha Beck Coach Training
Certified Grief Educator, David Kessler Training
Brand and strategy builder across CPG, asset management, start-up, and non-profit