Karen Schneider, owner and publisher of the Oshkosh Herald, has been named as one of Editor & Publisher’s “15 over 50.” The honor highlights news media professionals over 50 with strong leadership skills, transformational mindsets, a commitment to journalistic and publishing excellence and the ability to lead during challenging times.
At a time when many people are looking at retirement, Schneider has launched two weekly newspapers — the Oshkosh Herald in January 2018 and the Neenah News in February 2022.
Schneider started her newspaper career in 1986 in the sales department of the The Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette. She went on to serve in several ad manager roles for Gannett, most recently as the general manager/ad director for the Oshkosh Northwestern until 2015.
I left newspapers for several years and started an insurance agency. Once I sold that business, I moved back to my hometown of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2012 and worked for Gannett a third time in the Oshkosh/Fond du Lac markets until we separated in October 2015. With the support of my husband, Jeff, I launched the Oshkosh Herald in January 2018.
According to her nomination, “Karen leaned into the community as an important partner, often supporting charitable causes with advertising or feature stories. She and her husband can be seen at many, many community events from political forums to not for profit fund raisers.”
