Connie Schultz

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Connie Schultz was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2003 for her profound feature writing series, ‘The Burden of Innocence.’ This impactful reporting brought to light the wrongful incarceration of Michael Green, ultimately leading to his exoneration and the real perpetrator’s confession. Building on this recognition, Schultz was awarded the highly prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2005 for ‘her pungent columns that provided a voice for the underdog and underprivileged.’ Her distinguished work during this period also earned her the Batten Medal in 2004, followed by both the Scripps Howard Award and the National Headliners Award in 2005. Schultz honed her craft as a freelance writer for 15 years before joining The Plain Dealer as a columnist in 1993, a position she held for nearly two decades, having graduated with a journalism degree from Kent State University in 1979. Following her Pulitzer recognition, Schultz expanded her literary contributions, authoring ‘Life Happens: And Other Unavoidable Truths’ in 2006 and the memoir ‘…and His Lovely Wife: A Memoir from the Woman Beside the Man’ in 2007.

Demonstrating her sustained relevance in national discourse, Schultz became an opinion columnist for USA Today in 2021. Her most recent literary endeavor, ‘Lola and the Troll,’ was published in 2024, adding to her diverse body of work that consistently champions the marginalized and addresses complex social issues with clarity and empathy. Connie Schultz remains a prominent and influential voice in American journalism and literature.