Joe Schroeder

Mason City Schools, 2024 Excellence in Education Finalist

MADE Chamber & Community Involvement:

For the last 4-5 years I have partnered with MADE Chamber to connect local businesses to the future talent pipeline and to provide career experience opportunities for high school students. Many MADE Chamber businesses have been involved in the Experiential Learning program at Mason HIgh School (MHS) via classroom projects, guest speakers, providing job shadows, internships, career pathways, and jobs. The exciting new initiatives include the partnership with MADE MFG Hub, Creative Contracting, MI Homes and MHS for a Spring Semester Skilled trades workshop hosted at the MADE MFG Hub, and a planned summer small business incubator program with Mfg Hub business leaders as mentors.
Community involvement over the years include: Mason Kiwanis member for ~ 12 years (president in 2020), Mason Comet Skipper coach (jump rope team) for 10+ years, Great Oaks board representative for MCS, Mason Bands Pit crew for 4 years, and Cub scout den leader.

Fun Facts About You/Your Business:

The Experiential Learning Program, driven by its growth, is now student-run. I have a team of 25 MHS juniors/seniors who help connect with business to provide career experience opportunities for students, prepare students for these experiences (resume prep, interview prep, professional skills, etc), and run the career speaker, jobs & internship fair, and other aspects of the program. Attached are pics of the current team.
Personal fun/funny facts: I play on a baseball team, shortstop and second base, and our team only won 2 games last year :) I competed at this summer's national jump rope competition, and plan to compete at the world jump rope competition this summer. I am not very good, but the kids on the team like the fact that I try. :)

A Bit About Joe Schroeder

Joe Schroeder has been a resident of Mason, OH since 2004. He has been married to his wife, Rahlaunda (Roe), for 32 years. Rahlaunda previously worked at the Mason Early Childhood Center in the Child Nutrition department and is now a test proctor at Warren County Career Center. They have two children: Allison, 20, an MHS alumna and a junior at the University of Cincinnati, and Brandon, 24, an MHS alumnus and a Financial Analyst at Medpace.

Joe enjoys several hobbies, including playing baseball, coaching and jumping with the Comet Skippers, fishing, and tackling DIY home projects. His passion for these activities reflects his active and engaged lifestyle.

Professionally, Joe has built a diverse and impactful career. Since January 2023, he has served as the Experiential Learning Program Coordinator at Mason High School, where he provides students with valuable career experience opportunities, such as site visits, job shadowing, internships, and interactions with career speakers. Before this, from July 2020 to January 2023, he was the Director for Community Growth at Warren County Community Services, where he created an employment services program to support clients in their career development and job search efforts. Joe also led the Emergency Services operations for WCCS during this time.

Earlier in his career, from November 2018 to June 2020, Joe was the Director of the High School Workforce Initiative at United Way of Warren County. In this role, he worked closely with employers to create internship opportunities and career pathways for high school graduates, fostering connections between students and potential employers. His career began with a long tenure at Procter and Gamble, where he served from June 1997 to November 2018. In his final role there, Joe was the Global Marketing Brand ROI leader, heading the innovation and application of research capabilities to optimize media and trade plans for the company.

Learn A Bit More

Why is being part of the Mason Deerfield Chamber important to you/your organization?

Like the pink diamond, businesses and organizations have many facets. Which facet is your strength and why?

If your company culture, or personal persona, had to be summed up in five words or less, reflective of a
gemstone, what would they be?

Connections made through the MADE Chamber are vital to the success of the MHS XLP program. Connecting our students to business and community is a key part of helping young people discover their true north and their potential, it is the vision of MCS schools.

I guess I am a high energy and enthusiastic person, especially about finding new opportunities for students and helping make that connection for them. And I am grateful that I get to do this job. Although it's not a job, more like a mission. I really love it when I read student reflections of their job shadows or internships and they a say things like:

“Walking into this job shadow I didn't know anything about myself when it came to the medical world. Walking out of the job shadow I felt I learned a new side of myself. I now feel more clarity about my place in the medical world thanks to this UC Health job shadow.”
“In all, my internship at GMi Companies has been a transformative experience, providing me with practical insights, hands-on skills, and professional confidence for a successful future in the finance and accounting industry.”

XLP…Discover Your True North