Social Innovation Forum
With a wealth of experience in the nonprofit sector, Susan (she/her/hers) has been leading the Social Innovation Forum for over 17 years, helping to foster and grow a localized marketplace for social change. In this role, Susan and the organization work with investors (individuals and foundations) and nonprofit social change leaders to build skills and connections to accelerate social change in Eastern Massachusetts. Originally, Susan led this work as a program of Root Cause, and in 2015 she co-led the program’s spin-off into an independent organization.
Susan thoroughly enjoys building community and connecting people. Her vision is to continue building upon the powerful network established so that funders and practitioners are working together - as partners - toward local community-based social change. In these ways, SIF has shown that social impact and social change happen by creating purposeful, mission-focused communities. Among other experiences, Susan was Executive Director of the National Conference for Community and Justice's (NCCJ) Boston office, where she was part of the founding team of the LeadBoston program and was deeply involved in youth leadership work. Susan has participated on many local boards, including the founding Board of City School, the founding advisory board of the Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston (JTFGB), and as a 10-year founding member of the Watertown Community Foundation’s Board of Directors. In recent years, Susan served as an adjunct professor at Boston College's Carroll School of Management, co-teaching a practicum course for seniors entitled, Leading for Social Impact.