As President of the Society for Mathematical Biology, Schnell implemented structural changes that strengthened the organizations foundation and membership.  To allow members of the Society for Mathematical Biology to meet and interact within more focused areas in smaller groups, Schnell established the SMB Subgroups, which have been truly transformative for the Society, making more dynamics and representative for all the members of the field. He also made major gains in fundraising for the Society. His efforts resulted in a four-fold increase of the Societys endowment. This led to the establishment of awards to recognize excellence in mathematical biology at different career stages. Thanks for his leadership, the Society has the following awards: The H. D. Landahl Mathematical Biophysics Award for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, The Leah Edelstein-Keshet Prize for Women in Mathematical Biology, the John Jungck Prize for Excellence in Education, and the Society for Mathematical Biology Fellows Program.