Suzanne Walsh, Trustee

Suzanne Walsh is President of Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Bennett College is renowned for its intimate, engaging learning community that produces phenomenal women scholars and global leaders. Suzanne most recently was Deputy Director on the Postsecondary Success Team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she lead the Foundation’s institutional transformation strategy. Before joining Gates, Suzanne worked at two other foundations: Lumina Foundation in Indianapolis where she managed the Making Opportunity Affordable initiative, which was aimed at increasing college productivity by bringing about fundamental change in the way higher education does business; and, The Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh where her diverse portfolio included community colleges, universities, workforce development, tech commercialization and transfer, city/county consolidation, immigration and regional economic development.

She got her start in community college work at Cuyahoga Community College. And she began her professional career as an attorney at Oklahoma Indian Legal Services. Suzanne has her juris doctorate and masters in social work from Case Western Reserve University, a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University, an associate degree in applied science from Hudson Valley Community College; and an honorary doctorate from Johnson C. Smith University. She is a member of a number of international, national and local organizations: Carnegie Mellon University’s Global Learning Council, the boards of Seattle CityClub, Carey Institute for Global Good and the advisory boards for Roadtrip Nation and Zoo Labs. She is also a proud judge for Dance Your PhD.