Susy Schultz

Early life

Schultz, after an early stint at the City News Bureau of Chicago, joined the Chicago Sun-Times in 1984, where for 14 years she covered a wide range of stories, earning a number of awards including a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

Career

While pioneering a new social services beat for the newspaper—including coverage of domestic violence, elder care, child care and homeless families—she also worked as a columnist and as the newspaper's critic for children's theater, movies and TV programs.

She was also noted for a series she reported on the efforts of the Rev. Bruce Wellems, barred from the ministry for admitting being a pedophile, who used art, music and dance to turn around gang violence in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Regional affairs specialist

After leaving the Sun-Times in 1998, she worked in the Department of Health and Human Services, serving as the regional affairs specialist for Hannah Rosenthal, who oversaw the six-state Midwest region — the country’s most populated region.

Organizer, trainer, and head of media committee

Later she worked with Sister Sheila Lynne, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, where she organized communications, training all senior management and developing a message and brand for public health. She also headed up the media committee of the city’s strategic violence prevention plan.

Consulting editor

She worked for two years as consulting editor at The Chicago Reporter, a training ground for investigative reporters.

Associate publisher and editor of Chicago Parent magazine

For four years starting in 2002, she was associate publisher and editor of Chicago Parent magazine. During her tenure, the University of Missouri School of Journalism named it the top regional parenting magazine in the nation for three consecutive years.

Member of The Vagina Monologues

Schultz was also during this time a member of the 2002 Chicago celebrity cast of The Vagina Monologues.

Director for the Chicago Foundation for Women

She served as director of advocacy and communication for the Chicago Foundation for Women, where she helped coordinate a year-long statewide anti-violence initiative titled “What Will It Take?". She authored the initiative’s 143-page report.

Managing editor for The Daily Journal

In 2007, she was recruited to be managing editor for The Daily Journal, which serves the Kankakee region directly south of Chicago, and readership consultant to the Small Newspaper Group, Inc. a chain of newspapers and magazines reaching across much of the Middle West.

The newspaper, during her four years there, won a number of national and state awards.

She currently serves as a readership consultant to SNG, Inc., which publishes The Daily Journal and a string of other newspapers in Illinois and Minnesota.

Writer for the Chicago Tribune

Schultz has written over the years for the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, the New York Times Syndicate and News Service and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Radio commentator

Her radio commentaries have been heard on Minnesota Public Radio.

Vice President of JAWS

A vice president of the national Journalism & Women's Symposium (JAWS), she was also founding president of the Association of Women Journalists in Chicago.

Languages

Fluent in Spanish, Schultz has taught undergraduate and graduate journalism at Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago and Roosevelt University.

Family

She is the mother of two sons, Bryant and Zachary.