As a pediatric cancer survivor, Jake Schaefer, ’01, ’08, was deeply involved with Children’s Cancer Connection growing up — an organization that provides educational resources, camp programs and other outreach to families across Iowa at no cost.

His participation in camps, and later his service as a volunteer, left a lasting impression on him. It’s actually what inspired him to pursue a career in human services, wanting to serve children like him with cancer.

But somehow, he ended up on a different path.

Schaefer, who grew up in Orillia, Iowa, attended UNI and enrolled in the family services major. What he liked most about the university was its small class sizes, which gave him more opportunities to interact with professors.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in 2001, Schaefer worked briefly at a children’s hospital before transitioning to a role at Woodward Academy in Woodward, Iowa. There, he helped facilitate positive behavior change for youth in a comprehensive community residential treatment program.

“I really enjoyed spending one-on-one time developing people,” he says.

In January 2006, Schaefer returned to UNI for his master’s degree in mental health counseling. Inspired by the people he was working with, he wanted to enhance his skills.

UNI’s program stood out because it was the first in the nation accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, and he appreciated its approach to mental health.

Encouraged by his undergraduate experience, he was excited to return to campus.

After earning his master’s degree in May 2008, Schaefer took a community-based mental health role at Poweshiek County Hospital. While he had a great experience there, he soon left when his former boss at Woodward Academy recruited him back.

There once again, Schaefer worked with kids from inner cities like Baltimore and San Francisco who came for the residential program. He valued the opportunity to support a more diverse population.

With a growing skill set in mental health support, Schaefer began considering other ways he could help people, which led him to counseling.

In 2017, Schaefer and his wife, Elizabeth, founded Cedar Valley Counseling Services in Cedar Falls. Together, they share a passion for navigating the complexities of health care while ensuring an exceptional client experience.

“Instead of doing home improvement projects together, we started a business together,” Schaefer jokes.

Over his years in private practice, one thing especially stood out: many clients were struggling with work-related stress like ineffective leadership, unclear performance expectations and workplace drama that distracted them from their actual job responsibilities. It felt like he was constantly triaging these issues, so he figured there had to be a better way.

At the same time, Schaefer understood firsthand the unique challenges of leadership. Running a business and being fully responsible for its outcomes gave him insight into the demands leaders face.

So, in 2022, Schaefer decided to address these issues at the core. He launched Renewed Minds Consulting, offering leadership coaching, team workshops, values-based culture development and culture management — all aimed at helping organizations attract and retain top talent by reducing staff conflict and increasing collaboration.

The work has been just as rewarding as expected. With a strong passion for helping leaders, he is eager to grow his consulting business. He’s also looking forward to publishing his first book on leadership skills this August.

Throughout his career journey, Schaefer has built on the foundation UNI helped him lay — not once, but twice. He also served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Family, Aging and Counseling, teaching family counseling, group counseling and a family class for the family services major. He felt his education prepared him for anything by encouraging high aspirations while recognizing limitations.

“That more personalized educational experience provided me with more opportunities to talk with professors and build relationships with them,” he says.

One of those professors was Brenda Bass, now dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

“Sitting in her research methods class in 2000, I never envisioned this would be what I was doing,” Schaefer says.

Nevertheless, he was prepared to address Iowa’s mental health needs and ready to excel in every career opportunity that came his way, thanks to UNI.
 

“It’s been incredible to watch Jake’s journey — from a thoughtful student in my classroom to a leader making real change in mental health and organizational culture. He truly reflects the resilience and purpose we hope to inspire in all our students.”

— Dean Bass