S.J. Schinleber, PhD

Author. Educator. Speaker.

Invite Dr. Schinleber as a guest speaker, expert panelist, or workshop leader. Topics include Holocaust education, WWII history, genocide studies, democracy, and the writing craft.

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What's Next
Upcoming Event

The Holocaust Represented through the Art of Samuel Bak

Northbrook Public Library · May 2026

New Book

A Promise of Redemption

Coming Soon

Recent Credential

Certificate in Genocide Studies

Arizona State University · 2026

Curriculum Vitae

Author, educator, and public speaker with six advanced degrees, decades of teaching experience, and a record of published works, grants, and international scholarship.

Education

2026

Arizona State University, Tempe

Certificate in Genocide Studies

2025

Arizona State University, Tempe & National WWII Museum, New Orleans

MA — WWII Studies

2008

National Lewis University, Chicago

MAT — English & Language Arts (Endorsements: English, Language Arts, Journalism)

1987

New York University, New York

PhD — Culture & Society

1983

New York University, New York

MA — Culture & Society

1974

University of York, York, England

BA, Honors — English & Related Literatures

Professional Experience

2016 – Present

Northshore Country Day School, Winnetka

Middle School English & Public Speaking Teacher

2009 – 2010

Northshore Country Day School, Winnetka

Middle School English & French Teacher

2008 – 2010

Elmhurst College, Elmhurst

Adjunct Assistant Professor

2005 – 2009

Driscoll Catholic High School, Addison

Senior English Teacher & Department Chair

2005 – 2009

St. Mary's University, Winona

Adjunct Assistant Professor

1996 – 2000

North Central College, Naperville

Assistant Professor, English & Communication

1986 – 1994

New York University, Stern School of Business, New York

Assistant Professor, Managerial Communication

1986 – 1987

St. Vincent's College, Staten Island

Assistant Dean & Director

1985 – 1987

St. John's University, Queens

Assistant Professor, English

1982 – 1983

Macy's Flagship Store, New York

Manager

1977 – 1982

American Home Products Corporation, New York & U.K.

International Sales & Marketing Manager

Honors, Awards, Grants & Publications

2018

Echoes & Reflections Grant — International Holocaust Seminar, Yad Vashem, Israel

Benefit Board Grant — Jewish history sites in Poland

Co-presented "Giving a Damn about Democracy" — Facing History's "On Democracy" Conference, Chicago

2014

Global Grant — Cambridge University, England

2013

Benefit Board Grant — Retracing her father's WWII journey through Italy

2008

Published The Gunner Wore Petticoats, a novel on the Civil War

2002

Village of Northbrook & Fire Department recognition for A Breed Apart

2001

Published A Breed Apart: The First One Hundred Years of the Northbrook Fire Department

1999

National Science Foundation Grant — The Impact of Technology on Older Americans

1990

Outstanding Professor, NYU Stern School of Business

Rudin Grant — Ethical Issues in Business

Community Engagement

2000 – Present

Civil War Reenactor & Presenter

2000 – 2005

Village Safety Commissioner & Historical Society Speaker

2000 – 2004

Chair, Village of Northbrook Fourth of July Association

About

Susan J. Schinleber
Susan J. Schinleber, PhD
Author · Educator · Speaker

Susan J. Schinleber, PhD, is a London-born author, educator, and speaker who has spent her career across three continents and nearly every level of the classroom — from NYU's Stern School of Business, where she was voted Outstanding Professor, to middle school English and public speaking.

She holds five degrees, including a PhD from New York University, an MA in WWII Studies from Arizona State University and the National WWII Museum, and a Certificate in Genocide Studies. A National Science Foundation grant recipient and Cambridge University scholar, she has studied at Yad Vashem in Israel and traveled to Poland and Italy to research the history she writes and teaches about. A polyglot with a global perspective, her work spans languages, borders, and disciplines.

Dr. Schinleber is the author of The Gunner Wore Petticoats, a Civil War novel, and A Breed Apart, a history of the Northbrook Fire Department — with a third book, A Promise of Redemption, currently in progress. She volunteers at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center and speaks regularly to organizations including the ADL, Facing History, and civic groups across the Chicago area.

Her career has spanned international sales and marketing, university administration, and decades in the classroom. Whether addressing a conference audience or a room full of students, she brings the same energy: a deep respect for every perspective and a belief that stories have the power to change how we see the world.

Publications

Coming Soon

A Promise of Redemption

Coming Soon

The Gunner Wore Petticoats book cover

The Gunner Wore Petticoats

Published 2008

A novel set during the American Civil War.

Purchase on Amazon
A Breed Apart book cover

A Breed Apart: The First One Hundred Years of the Northbrook Fire Department

Published 2001

A history of the Northbrook Fire Department spanning its first century of service. Recognized by the Village of Northbrook and the Northbrook Fire Department in 2002.

Presentations

Presentation Topics

Dr. Schinleber offers presentations on a range of subjects, including:

  • Postwar Memory Culture
  • German Responses to the Holocaust, 1945–Present
  • Women and Work During and After the War
  • Women in German Film, 1933–Present
  • Twentieth-Century Genocides
  • Hitler’s Other Targets
  • Nazi Propaganda
  • Germany Between the World Wars
  • Russian Memory Culture
  • Women in Nazi Germany
  • Resistance Heroines
  • Motherhood in Nazi Germany
  • The Holocaust by Bullets
  • Holocaust Memoir
  • Holocaust Fiction
  • Burying the Soldiers
  • Our Russian Allies
  • The Nazi Camp System
  • Teaching the Holocaust Through Art

A sampling of her presentations includes:

2026

The Holocaust Represented through the Art of Samuel Bak

Northbrook Public Library

2023

The Ghettos and Camps

Leaf River Lions

2023

Antisemitism: Myth and Reality

World War Two Days, Rockford Historical Museum

2022–23

Educating Students on the Holocaust

World War Two Days, Rockford Historical Museum

2023

Why Didn't They Leave? The Plight of German Jewry in the 1930s

Leaf River Lions

2022

Why Didn't They Leave? The Plight of German Jewry in the 1930s

World War Two Days, Rockford Historical Museum

2018

Keynote Speaker, ADL's Regional Board Meeting

Highland Park, Illinois

2018

Giving a Damn about Democracy

Co-presented at Facing History's Partner School Network's On Democracy Conference, Chicago

2018

International Holocaust Seminar

Yad Vashem, Israel · Echoes and Reflections grant recipient

2018

Jewish History in Poland

Benefit Board grant recipient, research at sites of Jewish history

2014

Cambridge University Study

Cambridge University, England · Global Grant recipient

2006

Everyday Life in 1900 Northbrook

Northbrook Historical Society

2005 – Present

A Women's Life During the Civil War

Annual Meeting, Northbrook Historical Society

2000 – Present

Civil War Reenactor & Presenter

Historical presentations and reenactments

Interested in having Dr. Schinleber speak at your event?

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Contact

Whether you're a reader, fellow writer, event organizer, or just want to say hello — Dr. Schinleber would love to hear from you.