Sue has spent her career working with municipalities, school districts, non-profits and grassroots community organizations to design and implement productive public conversations that lead to meaningful change.  She has led national, regional and local community engagement processes, facilitated the work of community coalitions, and coached leaders to build their capacity to incorporate community voices into decision-making.  Sue has extensive experience creating tools to support meaningful and mutually rewarding engagement processes, including discussion guides, surveys, and interactive experiences that use 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, she 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, engaging over 50,000 young people nationwide.  Sue also 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. Additionally, she served as the Director of Leadership at the Snelling Center for Government, where she led the Vermont Leadership Institute (VLI), and the Vermont School Leadership Project (VSLP). 

Sue believes that building strong relationships is the essential foundation for any kind of positive change. She is passionate about creating inclusive, local democracies where public life is accessible to everyone, and no one gets left behind. Guided by the principle of the "Solidarity Dividend" advanced by Heather McGhee, Sue is committed to fostering collaboration across differences to develop innovative solutions that benefit everyone.

Living and working in Vermont has deeply shaped Sue’s approach, grounding her work in a sense of place and a love for her community.