Dan Schoening - Class of 2006

Dan Schoening may have been named a “power player” who is “revolutionizing the in-store shopping experience at major retailers by Business Insider, but he is quick to dismiss such accolades and acknowledges that the strategy and business operations work he does at Seattle-based Nordstrom is really a “team effort.” As the Vice President of Enterprise Strategy & Growth at Nordstrom, Dan works to make the customer experience “a seamless ecosystem” across both digital and brick and mortar Nordstroms and Nordstrom RACKs.  

Dan started his career in consulting after graduating from Tufts University in 2010. But even before that, Dan has been an entrepreneur and business-minded person at heart even from his early days. “As a kid I ran soccer camp startups” shares Dan. After being recruited by Nordstrom, Dan fell quickly in love with business strategy and shares that while his team is often “a launchpad of talent within Nordstrom” that he’s a self-admitted “career strategist.”  

Perhaps his days as a soccer player on Alumni faculty Bob Bristol’s Overlake team helped him form relationships and confidence that led to his success in the business world. “The biggest credit I can give Overlake is that I felt supported while also pushed” sharing that he “left a confident learner and athlete in ways that carried me through life.” In fact, Dan still counts his Overlake classmates as some of his closest friends, recently reuniting at across-the-road Farrel-McWhirter Park.   

While Dan’s work keeps him busy, his true pride and joy is his family. “I’m a husband and dad first” shares Dan. His wife, Julie, is self-employed and the two share a real estate business featuring for-rent mountainside and riverside cabins that enable them and their customers to adventure. “We are big skiiers and we are very outdoorsy” shares Dan, noting that “the Airbnb cabins and other real estate projects keep them occupied” when they’re not raising their three girls.