Robert W. Schroder is senior vice president of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is responsible for managing both long-term strategic initiatives and the day-to-day operations of the International Affairs Division, the largest international affairs team of any U.S. business association. With a staff of 100 regional and policy experts, the division represents the Chamber and its members before foreign governments, the U.S. government, and international business organizations. Specific areas of concentration include foreign investment strategies for US companies and state governments.

Concurrently, Mr. Schroder founded SteerBridge Strategies which is a Washington based Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business government services provider. The company specializes in bringing best in class private sector solutions to the Federal government. Leveraging years of defense acquisition experience and private sector expertise, SteerBridge supports government clients with a diverse set of solutions spanning information technology, strategic communications, construction management and everything in between.

Also, since September 2020, he has been a Board Member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board, which serves as an independent advisor to Secretary of Defense on Reserve and National Guard matters.

Mr. Schroder brings more than 20 years of leadership experience to the private sector. As a Marine Corps Officer, he served in multiple combat operations throughout his career as an AV-8B Harrier pilot and served as the commander of the “Black Sheep” squadron. Beyond the cockpit, he served as a congressional fellow for the 107th Congress and from 2006 to 2009, as the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) program lead for the Marine Corps. Before joining the Chamber, he was manager of the Global Posture, Strategy, and Plans team for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In addition to his B.S. from the Naval Academy, Mr. Schroder holds M.S. degrees from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Marine Corps University. He received his M.B.A. from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Mr. Schroder served on the USAA Insurance and Financial Services Advisory Panel from 2013 to 2016, and currently is on the board of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

He and his wife reside in Virginia with their four children.

(As of April 2020)