Major Schneider was born in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and raised in the Peace River Region. He joined the military after high school and graduated with honours from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario with a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering in 1994.

Upon completion of Military Engineering training in May 1995, he was posted to 1 Construction Engineering Unit Moncton, New Brunswick. While there, he was employed as the training officer and was involved in the Unit’s transition to supporting deployed operations following the transfer of the Unit from an ADM(Mat) to the DCDS. He also completed a number of engineering studies and projects throughout Canada and in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

After being promoted to Captain in May of 1997, Major Schneider deployed on a oneyear tour to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Israeli Occupied Syria, as the Canadian Contingent Construction Engineering Officer. During this time his troop was awarded the Task Force Commander’s Commendation for outstanding support.

Upon returning to Canada, Major Schneider was posted as the Officer in Charge of 1 Area Construction Troop, 4 Engineer Support Regiment, Edmonton, Alberta. While there he lobbied for and oversaw the completion of a number of military projects throughout Alberta and the North West Territories in addition to a number of civic projects in Edmonton. In May 1999 he deployed for seven months on Operation KINETIC, where his troop was a part of 15 Engineer Surge Squadron and were responsible for the construction and maintenance of camps throughout Kosovo. He also oversaw his troop bed down the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Headquarters in the Pristina film studio.

In the summer of 2001 Major Schneider was posted to the newly formed Canadian Forces Joint Support Group Headquarters in Kingston. While there he was involved in the definition of the Engineer Support Unit for the National Military Support Capability Project. He was also extensively involved in the Canadian Contractor Assistance Program or CANCAP working on the initial statement of requirements and as a member of the bid evaluation committee. He saw the results of his efforts when he deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan from May to August 2003 commanding the first contract management cell to oversee the CANCAP construction of Camp Julien. In the spring of 2004 Major Schneider was involved in planning the drawdown for Operations ATHENA (FRY) and DANACA (UNDOF) deploying on recces to both theatres.

Major Schneider is married to Janelle, a published author, and has two children. His interests away from work include hockey, baseball, and a variety of home improvement projects. Major Schneider has accepted a position with Parks Canada in Winnipeg as the Asset Manager for the Manitoba and Riding Mountain National Park Field Unit. A Depart with Dignity ceremony is planned for late September in Winnipeg.