Our Team

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FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

Neil Schlager

Neil founded Schlager Group in 1997 and serves as the company's president and CEO. Previously, he worked at Gale Cengage, where he held positions including managing editor of the Multicultural Team and senior editor of new product development. He is the editor of numerous reference encyclopedias, including the St. James Press Gay and Lesbian Almanac (1998), Science and Its Times (2000), Contemporary Novelists (2001), and the St. James Press Encyclopedia of Labor History Worldwide (2003).

He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University (B.A., history and Ibero-American studies) and the University of Denver Publishing Institute.


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VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS AND STRATEGY | PARTNER

Benjamin Painter

Benjamin started working with Schlager Group in 2009. Since then, he has held every title ranging from Assistant Editor to Creative Director to Vice President and Partner. In addition to managing the Schlager Group daily white label publishing and business operations, Benjamin is a key product development strategist for the Milestone Documents brand.

He graduated cum laude from Southern Methodist University with a B.A. in English, with a creative writing specialization, and a minor in political science. While at SMU, he served as vice president of the International English Honor Society (Sigma Tau Delta), vice president of the SMU Writers’ Group, and festival coordinator for SMU’s premier literary festival. He has also completed coursework in literature and international politics at University College, Oxford University.


VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL | PARTNER

Sarah Robertson

Sarah joined Schlager Group in 2011. In her role at the company, Sarah manages a variety of projects and provides editorial services for other publishers. In addition, she serves as permissions coordinator, manages bookstore relations, and offers customer support for the Milestone Documents product line.

She graduated from Southern Methodist University with a B.A. in English and History and a minor in Spanish. She obtained a M.A. in History from SMU in 2011.


CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Lisa Spicko

Lisa joined Schlager Group in 2024. As marketing leader her priority is elevating awareness of Schlager print, digital, and Milestone Documents product lines through publicity, promotion, and market advocacy. Lisa has dedicated her career to libraries, edtech, and the education sectors, working in various marketing leadership roles at Clarivate, ProQuest and Cengage | Gale and managing marketing teams across the world.

Lisa is a graduate of Purdue University (B.A. English) and has her Master of Information degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.