Meet This Meeting's  Panel

Jena Schneider is a Financial Professional with Thoroughbred Advisors, dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses to achieve financial confidence and clarity. She helps clients plan for life’s goals—from retirement and education to business continuity—through education, personalized strategies, and trusted relationships. As the founder of Empower & Elevate Women in Business, she champions empowering women to connect, learn, and grow through education, networking, and community—fostering connection, collaboration, and confidence in every stage of business and life.

I’m an entrepreneur, builder, and real estate investor. I run a mid-term rental company that provides housing for traveling professionals across the country, and a construction company based in New York. I didn’t grow up with this knowledge — I learned it through risk, failure, and persistence. I’m passionate about creating opportunities, building from the ground up, and living with purpose. Outside of business, I love fitness, nature, cooking, and recently started learning guitar.

Cynthia B. Knox, Esq., is the CEO of Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill (CHHOP). CHHOP works to alleviate hunger and homelessness in Peekskill, New York, and its surrounding areas. As CHHOP’s leader, Knox successfully increased the organization’s revenue by over 225% percent, increased private revenue by over 17% and program staffing by 280 percent within five years. She has also developed additional programs in response to community needs, including a collaborative RISE Program for domestic violence survivors. She has transformed CHHOP’s food pantry into a “farm to pantry” model with a rigorous focus on health equity.

In 2024,  The Loft recognized Knox as an LGBTQ+ Trailblazer and the City of Peekskill named her as a Peekskill LGBTQ+ leader.  Under Knox’s leadership, CHHOP has received recognition for its dedication to helping those in need, including the 914 Inc. Women in Business Leaders in 2023, Crain’s 2023 New York Notable LGBTQIA+ Leaders, the 2022 New York State Empire Award, the 2022 Peekskill NAACP Distinguished Service Award, and the 2022 Feeding Westchester Neighbor Service Award.

Knox's social justice work spans more than three decades, with 20-plus years of nonprofit executive experience working on behalf of low-income individuals. She has developed programs and funding for specialized populations, advanced strategic partnerships, and led performance management processes in her leadership roles.

Knox has served on numerous boards, committees, and commissions. Currently, Knox serves on the Executive Committee of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce and the Westchester County Community Development Advisory Group; is a member of the Policy Advisory Committee for "Welcome Home Westchester!" and is on the New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital Community Advisory Board.

Knox holds a JD from CUNY Law School and a BA in Philosophy from Sarah Lawrence College.