Sue has spent her career working with municipalities, school districts, and grassroots community organizations to design and implement productive public conversations that lead to change.  She has led national, regional and local community engagement processes, facilitating the work of community coalitions, and coaching leaders to build their capacity to share power and incorporate community voice into decision-making.  Sue has deep experience designing tools that support meaningful and mutually rewarding engagement processes, including discussion guides, surveys and interactive experiences (featuring games, photos, texting and more).

In 2006, Sue co-authored Facing Racism in a Diverse Nation, an Everyday Democracy discussion guide that was used throughout the U.S. for over a decade to help communities address race relations and racial equity. In 2014, Sue helped to develop and launch Text, Talk, Act, a unique process that combined texting and small group dialogue as part of a national conversation on mental health. Over 50,000 young people participated in this effort around the country.  Sue co-coordinated the Heart & Soul of Essex, a two year citizen-led initiative funded by the Orton Family Foundation to identify shared community values, and increase civic participation. Sue also served as the Director of Leadership at the Snelling Center for Government, directing the Vermont Leadership Institute (VLI), and the Vermont School Leadership Project (VSLP). 

Sue continues to be a student of the ways racism, implicit bias, and whiteness impact our public institutions, and has a special interest in helping people build their awareness and capacity to apply an equity lens to their community change work.