Dan Schneider graduated from Columbia University School of Law and practised law in New York before beginning his policy career in Washington, DC. He graduated with honours from the University of Kansas with a BA in Economics and a minor in Chinese. He started his career in Washington as chief of staff to Congressman Jim Ryun of Kansas. He went on to serve in the George W. Bush Administration, first as the White House Liaison to Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, then as an aide to the president, and finally as an acting assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services. He has been executive director of the American Conservative Union (ACU) since 2014. Before joining ACU, he held a unique position in the US Senate; over five years, he personally selected 300 conservatives to serve on various bipartisan boards and commissions in the executive branch during the Obama administration.