About Suz

Highlights

• Highly respected for advising, coaching and teaching across a wide variety of organizations.

• 20 years at IDEO as a Partner and Managing Director, playing a critical role in growing IDEO from 200 employees to 1000 in 9 locations around the globe.

• Founded, operated and scaled IDEO U, in the highly competitive learning space.

• Partnered on and launched a wide range of successful products, services and experiences. Some favorites include: Steelcase’s Node chair, Clayton Christensen’s “Innovator’s Accelerator” course, University of California Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science Building Experience, Proctor & Gamble’s Innovation Gym, York University’s Lassonde Engineering School, Bedsider Birth Control Support Network, Medicines360, and CleanWell Natural Products. 

• Deep expertise in customer strategy, marketing, brand, product, digital learning, innovation, culture building and organizational design.

Design + Entrepreneurship

• Longtime partner at global design and innovation company IDEO, where I was the Managing Director of IDEO’s Systems and Organizational Change Studio and grew IDEO’s Design Research and Strategy capabilities, pioneering many of the techniques at the forefront of practice today. 

• Founded and operated IDEO U, IDEO’s most successful new venture, a digital learning company that educates over 300,000 learners around the world.

• Fell in love with the power of technology for change in the early “Web 1.0” days of Silicon Valley as a UX (User Experience) leader at Bigstep.com, an e-commerce platform serving small businesses entering the Internet age.

• Grew and led multiple teams from 2 to 100+ over nearly 3 decades. 

• Innovated with The Gates Foundation, Ford, Steelcase, Proctor & Gamble, Pepsi Co, eBay, Facebook, Google, and more.

Coaching + Venture Advising

• Teach in the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program supporting entrepreneurs from the First Movers Fellowship. 

• Venture advisor with Extension Engine, helping for-profit, non-profit and education organizations design and develop transformative digital learning experiences.

• Board of Directors for Education Design Lab, which designs education toward the future of work, focusing on new majority learners, cutting edge community colleges and non-traditional education pathways.

• Established new offer innovation processes for multiple companies including Proctor & Gamble, IAG Australia, and VF Corporation.  

• Operating advisor in the Climate Draft, helping startups halt damaging impacts on our planet. 

• Trained as a leadership coach through Erickson Coaching International

Content Strategy + Writing

• Host and conceptualized IDEO U’s popular Creative Confidence Podcast.

• Developed multiple content strategies at IDEO, including IDEO Patterns, the firm’s first client-facing publication. 

• Developed thought leadership and speeches for dozens of clients including Educause on high impact teams, Google on Creative Leadership and Extension Engine on learning that has both High Engagement at Scale. 

• Writing has been published in Inc Magazine, Fast Company, Quartz at Work, and Rotman Magazine.

Keep people and culture at the center

As an anthropologist who found purpose in the world of business, I care deeply about keeping business human.

Grow the business while growing people

I always lead with learning to create the most sustainable teams, relationships and experiences.

Be an ambidextrous innovator

It is critical to balance exploring new markets, technologies, and business opportunities with leveraging existing capabilities, processes, and assets.

Maintain momentum with positive energy

I create momentum with my enthusiasm while being an inclusive and pragmatic dreamer.

Get shit done while respecting the larger system

I’m hard wired for action, but I always consider near-term moves in the context of long-term system-wide opportunities.

Lead through empathy, collaboration and inclusion

I know what it is like to be in the minority, to hold true to your values and to make progress through relationships. I care about fairness and equity and yet, I am not afraid of friction and the opportunities it brings for growth.

Connect profit and social good

I believe in blending models for long-term sustainable success.