Connie Schultz

Connie Schultz (born July 21, 1957) is an American writer, journalist, and educator. Schultz is a columnist for USA Today. She wrote for Cleveland's daily newspaper, The Plain Dealer, from 1993 to 2011, winning the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for "her pungent columns that provided a voice for the underdog and underprivileged". She teaches journalism at Denison University. Early life Connie Schultz was born to Alvina Jane (née BeBout) and Charles Craig Schultz. Her siblings are Leslie, Toni, and Charles. In 1975, Schultz graduated from Ashtabula High School. In 1979, Schultz received a B.A., Journalism, Political Science, from Kent State University. Career Schultz started her career as a freelance writer (from 1978 to 1993) and then became a columnist for The Plain Dealer in 1993, a role she held until 2011. Schultz is married to Sherrod Brown, Democratic U.S. Senator from Ohio. Because of her husband's 2006 Senate campaign, Schultz took a leave of absence from The Plain Dealer to campaign for his election. She returned to The Plain Dealer in January 2007. On September 19, 2011, Schultz again resigned from the paper, having written in a note to colleagues that "in recent weeks, it has become painfully clear that my independence, professionally and personally, is possible only if I'm no longer writing for the newspaper that covers my husband's Senate race on a daily basis".