SueAnn Staton
SueAnn Staton is the Founder of Stand a Chance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children growing up with a parent in prison through scholarships, mentorship, and character-building programs. She launched the organization in July 2024 after being deeply moved by the story of a young man named Tiger who met his incarcerated father for the first time at the Angola Rodeo at age 18. Inspired to advocate for what she calls the “forgotten victims of the system,” Ann secured federal 501(c)(3) approval in early 2025 and is now actively building the organization with a small, dedicated team of volunteers in the Greater New Orleans region. Her mission is rooted in restoring hope, confidence, and opportunity to children facing extraordinary circumstances. A dynamic professional with extensive experience in communications, advertising, and nonprofit management, Ann began her career as an advertising copywriter after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 1991. During the industry’s transition from traditional to digital design, she taught herself graphic design and went on to build a successful career as an independent freelancer, developing expertise in branding, creative concepts, and multi-channel campaigns. She describes herself as highly organized with an entrepreneurial mindset and a talent for big ideas, fundraising strategy, and event hosting. Her professional background also includes experience in behavioral health and counseling, which informs her compassionate and structured leadership approach. Ann holds a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University (2023) and a Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management from Louisiana State University (2024). Originally from Oklahoma and having spent much of her life in Dallas, she has called New Orleans home for nearly two years and has fallen in love with the city’s architecture, character, and sense of community. Looking ahead, she envisions renovating one of New Orleans’ historic abandoned buildings into a resource center for at-risk youth and homeless teenagers—providing access to computers for job applications and FAFSA completion, career guidance, mentorship, and a safe, empowering environment. By combining her passion for historic preservation with her commitment to youth empowerment, Ann continues to transform vision into meaningful action.
• Southern New Hampshire University - MA, Forensic Psychology
• University of Oklahoma - BA, Journalism & Mass Communications
What do you attribute your success to?
I can only take credit for the idea. The success will be because it is a really good idea and a worthy cause.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
What comes to mind is a quote that I made into a other's Day Card last year. Growing up, my mother instilled a confidence in me that I can do absolutely anything that I set my mind on and unstopable basically. The thing had no limits. Sky was the limit. Whatever I wanted, I could take it. And that's a huge gift, to instill that in a child. Now, I wish I had done more, but we all have those regrets. But I know so many kids that grew up without encouragement of any kind. Coonfidence instilled in your identity like that is priceless. .“Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot,” written by Truman Capote in his 1958 novella, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. This line emphasizes the immense value of mentors, friends, or loved ones who build up your self-belief, suggesting that such emotional support is a significant debt of gratitude.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't judge. And don't just say you don't judge, because we all do it. Rather, put yourself in their shoes. Get down to earth and reality if you want to truly understand the homeless living in encampments or the battered women that continually go back to the abuser or the heroin addicts living on their doomed merry go round or the unmedicated Schizophrenic veteran talking to imaginary people outside Walgreens. They all have a story, and it is a real story. Are you going to hear them? Do you feel empathy or is it just sympathy? I think the industry picks us...with almost any career. I think you get a calling...or like with graphic design, it just came so natural and I enjoy every minute of it. On the other hand, I am clumsy with numbers and too squeemish too ever be a nurse, because that is a fantastic career.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value my perspective in any given situation. Through the experiences that life has dealt me, I have compassion for people at any level. I have been at the top of the food chain and I will tell you, I have certainly been at the bottom. Most people can't comprehend how a guy that made six figures last year is sleeping on the floor at the bus station tonight. This doesn't make sense to most people, but I get it entirely. Mental health and chemical dependency come into play, but sometimes it is just the hand you were dealt. Bad things happen to good people. And good things happen to bad people. I pay attention to all of them. Life can spin on a dime, or at least my life does. If I am anything, it is resilient. If I end up in a sleeping bag somewhere, I guarantee you I won't be there the next night. I'm a survivor of so many things, but I don't cling to labels and justifications. I trudge through it in my big girl boots. But throuoghout our journey, we must never forget those that held out their hand, pulled us up out of the muddy ditch. It might have been a ride down the road, a five dollar bill or a sandwich, but pay it forward Ladies! That is my insight. Nothing is more rewarding in life than helping the next one out of that rabbit hole.