Her Story
About Susan
I've been in my profession for 34 years, and it's been quite a journey. I started out in marketing, commercial marketing in Manhattan after college, and then from there, I went into marketing and communications for nonprofit organizations and children's-based groups in Atlanta, and loved that. I worked my way up to Director of Communications for a statewide education group. Through that experience, I realized that I wanted to be mission-based and issue-based, more than just product-based. I learned the craft as I went - it wasn't my education, my education was in child development, but I learned communications as I went. After working in nonprofit child organizations in Atlanta, I moved to D.C. and went to work for APCO Worldwide, where I really learned the nuts and bolts of PR and earned media and strategic communications to a much deeper level than I had understood it working on my own. It was the first time I worked with a group of people who did what I did. When you're in a small organization, you're the only one who's doing it. So that was thrilling, and I got huge opportunities because it was the kind of environment that it didn't matter your title, or your level, or your years of experience. If the leadership thought you had a good idea, they let you run with it. So it was really, really exciting and great couple of years. And then, since then, I've been on my own. In June, it'll be 26 years as an independent communications consultant. My core competency is earned media, so getting my clients in the media and helping them do all the things they need to do to do that. I help them figure out what their key messaging should be, that's the strongest, most powerful breakthrough way to communicate, and then connecting them with media, or events, and allies and partners, and different venues and places and ways for them to become better known as experts in their field. My most notable achievement has been having great, exciting work but doing it on my own terms as a mom of three. I was very fortunate to be able to be the ultimate mom of three kids, but have exciting and challenging work with the flexibility to do that. That's what I gained by being on my own as an independent.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Susan
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would not be intimidated by AI, I would be a student of it, get ahead of it, learn how you can deliver at a much higher and deeper level, because so much of the rote and everyday tasks can be done by AI, which really amounts to just having a team of very smart interns. That's the highest and best use of AI right now. And that frees you up to do higher level, more expert, deeper thinking and executing for your client. Another thing that's becoming more evident is where strategic communications and marketing coexist, where they work together, and where they need to remain distinct. It'll vary by organization, but being able to work well with all facets of the marketing communications arena or sector and not be on one side or the other is probably where the future's going. More of a connection between them, and more instead of separate, they're blending more, and being able to navigate that will be key.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It's a new world with AI. I would not be intimidated by AI, I would be a student of it, get ahead of it, learn how you can deliver at a much higher and deeper level, because so much of the rote and everyday tasks can be done by AI, which really amounts to just having a team of very smart interns. That's the highest and best use of AI right now. And that frees you up to do higher level, more expert, deeper thinking and executing for your client. Another thing that's becoming more evident is where strategic communications and marketing coexist, where they work together, and where they need to remain distinct. It'll vary by organization, but being able to work well with all facets of the marketing communications arena or sector and not be on one side or the other is probably where the future's going. More of a connection between them, and more instead of separate, they're blending more, and being able to navigate that will be key.
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