Susan is a recognized major and principal gift fundraising and development communications specialist with 40 years of experience in development leadership positions and as a consultant to academic medical centers, premier higher education institutions, health care and global health organizations, and others in the non-profit sector. She has partnered with institutions, raising nearly $2 billion for life-changing programs. She founded Vision Philanthropy Group in 2009.  She is a thought leader in creating a culture of philanthropy and a specialist in transformational and mega-gift development, campaign design and execution, grateful patient and family giving, and philanthropic strategic planning.  The creator of Bold Asking®, Susan is a sought-after coach for boards, executives, and development staff in guiding, inspiring, and securing transformational gifts.  

Susan has planned and managed successful campaigns ranging from $10 million to $1.3 billion.  She has partnered with institutional leaders in securing single gifts ranging from $1 million to $250 million for capital, operating, and endowment projects.

Susan has held senior development positions at some of the nation's premier educational and health sciences institutions Her leadership roles include:

• Chief Development Officer, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University (NY, NY)

• Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (Cleveland, OH)

• VP for Development, National Jewish Health (Denver, CO)

• Executive Director of Development, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)

• Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts, Vanderbilt University Medical School (Nashville, TN)

• Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (Nashville, TN)

Susan was responsible for organizing the first Office of Institutional Advancement at Weill Cornell Medical College where she managed the fundraising for the $700 million nucleus fund for the College’s historic $1.3 Billion “Discoveries that Make a Difference” campaign.  At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Susan established the advancement program for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and led the Center’s “Imagine a World Without Cancer” $150 million campaign, which exceeded the goal, raising $180 million in four years.  She also led the Vanderbilt Medical Center's development program at the School of Nursing and the Vanderbilt Medical School's basic sciences programs.  While at Vanderbilt, she staffed the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and the campaign chair as the principal gifts officer (gifts of $1 million +) in the University’s $1.25 billion Shape the Future campaign.  At National Jewish Health, she led a complex staff of major gift and event specialists located in offices throughout the United States with the principal office located in Denver.

Recent clients include Catholic Charities of Tennessee (Nashville, TN), Corner to Corner (Nashville, TN), The Carroll Center for the Blind (Newton, MA), Beth-Israel Lahey Hospital-Milton (Boston, MA), Angelman Syndrome Foundation (IN), American Cancer Society, Mid-South Division (Nashville, TN), Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), BrightStone (Franklin, TN), Chilton Medical Center (Pompton Plains, NJ), MGH Institute of Health Professions (Boston, MA), Partners In Health (Boston, MA), New England Baptist Hospital (Boston, MA), University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (Buffalo, NY), Williamson Medical Center Foundation (Franklin, TN), and the United Way of Greater Nashville and of Williamson County (Franklin, TN).

Susan is a frequent national and international presenter.  Recent speaking engagements include:

• Association of Fundaising Professionals, International Conference, Educational Session, April 8, 2024, “Be Bold Better: What it Takes to Create Transformational Gifts”,

• Planned Giving Council of Middle Tennessee, April 5, 2023 Day-long Super Session: “Be Bold Better: What It Takes To Create Transformational Gifts”.

• Planned Giving Council of Middle Tennessee, (Virtual Webinar), February 3, 2022, “Engaging Institutional Leaders to Maximize Planned Giving”.

• Association of Fundraising Professionals, International Conference, (Virtual), June, 29, 2021, “Raising Major Gifts and Elevating your Philanthropic Culture As the World Recovers”.

• Association for Fundraising Professionals, International Conference, New Orleans, LA, April, 2018, " Designing Powerful Partnerships that Transform Culture and Result in New Major Gifts".

• Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, International Conference, New Orleans, LA, October 2017, "Creating million dollar gifts with physician partners: Strategy to Tactics:  Big Vision = Big Gifts".

• Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Webinar, February 14, 2017, “The Psychology of Giving: What Neuroscience Tells Us”.

• Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, International Conference, Chicago, IL, October 2016, “Creating Million Dollar Gifts and a New Era of Philanthropy with Physician Partners”.

• Planned Giving Council of Middle Tennessee Summit Conference Speaker, Nashville TN, August 2016, “The Psychology of Giving:  Why Me?”

• Hospital Fundraising Summit, sponsored by Hospital Fundraising Today, April 6 – 10, 2015.  Topics: “Bold plans/Bold asking:  Coaching your Board and physicians in capital campaigns for bold results” and “Are we there yet?  Where is your culture of philanthropy today?”

• Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Big Ideas Conference, New Orleans, June 26, 2014, “The Art of Bold Asking”.

•   Mercilhacy and Boulan Associates Health Care Professionals Seminar, Paris, France,  June, 2012, “The Essential Elements of Executing Successful Hospital Campaigns”

• Foro Mundial de Fundraising (World Fundraising Forum), Monterrey, Mexico, October, 2012, "Developing a Successful Fundraising Campaign".

• University of San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 2012, “The Building Blocks of Successful Fundraising Campaigns in Health Care Organizations”.

• Siro Libanes Hospital, Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 2012, “The Fundamentals of a Successful Hospital Campaign”.

• AHP 2011 International Conference presenter, Boston, MA, October 2011, “Campaign Readiness: Creating a Culture of Philanthropy for Success”.

• New York City Fundraising Day Conference, Senior Management Track 2010, "Rebooting your non-profit after a campaign".

Susan serves on the board of The Nashville Opera, serving on the Development(Chair) and Governance Committees. She is a Past-President of the Board of the Planned Giving Council of Middle Tennessee. Susan is a member of The Association of Fundraising Professionals, The Association of Healthcare Philanthropy, and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.  Previous board experience includes Vox Grata and the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra in Nashville, TN where she resides with her husband Mark. She is the proud grandmother of four. In her spare time, she is a Pilates and spinning enthusiast and continues to study voice with her long-time voice coach. Susan’s undergraduate and graduate degrees in music and vocal performance bring a unique perspective from her performing arts training to her major gift philanthropy coaching and training.