Amy Schuman

A principal consultant of The Family Business Consulting Group, Amy Schuman supports family businesses seeking to maximize success and strength in both their family and their business. For over 20 years, Amy has helped hundreds of families implement the systems, structures and relationships needed to be effective stewards of their enterprises. Many clients come to Amy early in their planning process, and she works closely with family members, owners, non-family executives and trusted advisors to facilitate a big picture, long-term strategy for successful continuity. In other cases, the family, owners and/or business are facing a difficult circumstance, even a crisis. In these cases, Amy has the experience and knowledge to chart a path through the tough issues and get to a place where a more strategic, long-term and less emotional approach can be crafted and implemented.

Amy has worked with complex family businesses, large and small, across North America and abroad. She has helped families create Family Councils, Ownership Councils, Boards of Directors, Constitutions, Policies and Guidelines, Family Education, Team Building, and many other useful tools and techniques. Rather than following one set consulting approach, Amy sees each family and business as individual, and adapts her approach to the unique needs and opportunities of each client.

As founding facilitator of the Next Generation Leadership Institute at the Chicago Loyola University Family Business Center, Amy coached young men and women to assume leadership positions in their family businesses. She also founded and facilitated Loyola's first Peer Advisory Group for Women and taught group process and facilitation skills in Loyola's Family Business Communication Institute.

Prior to joining our firm, Amy served as a key non-family executive at Fel-Pro, Inc., a fourth-generation automotive manufacturer. She helped develop the award-winning corporate culture that led the company to be named among the "Top 10 of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America." At Fel-Pro, Amy experienced first-hand the power of family ownership values and vision creating powerful competitive advantage for the business as well as an enduring source of strength and harmony for the family.

Amy is an adjunct lecturer at the Center for Family Enterprise, Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. She has presented at many family business centers across the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America, as well as presenting for YPO and WPO events, the Family Firm Institute and the Family Business Network across the globe.

Amy is the co-author of five family business books including Human Resources in the Family Business, Family Business as Paradox and Family Education for Business Owning Families.
Amy and her husband live in Evanston, and have three adult children and two brilliant grandchildren. Amy has been active in several Chicago non-profits over the years, notably Curt's Cafe and Uptown Cafe.

Education MBA, 2005, Management, Northwestern University

M.A., 1981, Organization Development, Bowling Green State University

B.A., 1977, Psychology, Oberlin College

Academic Positions Adjunct Lecturer of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2014-present

Coach for Next Generation Leadership Institute, Family Business Center, Loyola University Chicago, 1996-2006

Other Professional Experience Principal, Family Business Consulting Group, 1999-present

Director, FEL-PRO, Inc.,, 1984-1996

Consultant, Amy Schuman & Associates, 1996-1999

Education Academic Positions Other Professional Experience