Penny Schnarrs is a community strategist, storyteller, and connector who has spent more than 20 years building meaningful, people-centered experiences that drive engagement, belonging, and positive impact.
Over the past four years at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Penny has led the transformation of the Virtual Communities Network from a small pilot into a thriving enterprise ecosystem of more than 10,000 users and nearly 100 communities. In this role, she built and scaled the infrastructure, programs, and culture that underpin the network’s success—from launching an engaged Champions Group to establishing the newly formed Champions Council as a peer-led governance body that models healthy community behavior and represents member voice.
Penny also created and continues to nurture the Community Lab, an internal center of excellence for AAMC community managers that strengthens cross-organizational collaboration, streamlines processes, and advances a consistent, human-centered community strategy across the institution.
In recognition of her leadership, resilience, and innovation in growing the AAMC’s community ecosystem despite limited resources, Penny was honored with the 2024 Rising Phoenix Award by The Community Roundtable.
Prior to returning to the AAMC, Penny served in internal communications at Highmark Health, partnering closely with HR, Strategy, and executive leadership to increase employee engagement, launch a new mission/vision/strategy, and build a modern intranet that expanded collaboration through M365 and digital tools. She is also part-time faculty at Point Park University, where she teaches first-year students and champions the power of curiosity, clarity, and connection.
Penny is energized by building spaces where people feel seen, supported, and inspired to do their best work—and she is proud to bring this passion to the AAMC Virtual Communities program.
If you ever want to talk pop culture, travel, fashion, transformational leadership, or self-care, please reach out.