Communications and strategy that inspire action.

Passionate about social change, I deliver strategy, communications, and coaching to nonprofits, philanthropies, public health, and mission-driven organizations.

Services

  • Strategy

    Strategy

    Strategic planning
    Navigating change
    Engaging stakeholders
    Organizational development

  • Communications

    Communications

    Messaging
    Branding
    Storytelling
    Communications planning

  • Project Management

    Program Management

    Implementation planning
    Curriculum design
    Facilitation

  • Coaching & Training

    Storytelling
    How to get buy-in
    Presentation skills
    Strengthening teams
    Developing leadership
    Navigating change

  • Fields of Expertise

    Fields of Expertise

    Nonprofits
    Philanthropy
    Public health
    Quality Improvement
    Community clinics & public hospitals

Read stories about recent projects
Suzanne Samuel photo

With over 25 years’ experience in nonprofits, philanthropy, healthcare, and education, I blend strategic thinking with a practical approach. I partner with social change organizations to launch programs, navigate change, build capacity, and inspire action.

Read More About Suzanne

Clients

Clients and employers include:

Innate ability to meet people where they are…

With an innate ability to meet people where they are, speak their language, empathize, and be action oriented, Suzanne is pragmatic, practical, and a skilled translator of complicated information.  The strategies she offers are easy to apply.  Her energetic, engaging communications training, coaching, and consulting includes high-participation webinars and lively in-person trainings. Together this supports community clinic staff in improving quality, bridging departments, and making change.

Chris Hunt, Program Director
Institute for High Quality Care

I’m struck most by how she listens…

I’m struck most by how Suzanne listens. Her ability to fuse salient ideas, after lengthy conversations, is remarkable. She consistently simplifies discussions and translates all those words into relevant, real-world action. To work with Suzanne is to work with someone who understands the joy and trials of organizations with a mission to serve. More importantly, she shares a kinship with the people who bring those organizations to life. This keeps her away from theoretical advice and instead grounds her guidance in our everyday work. If you have the chance, work with her. You will be better for having done so.

Lisa Davies, CEO
Chapa-De Indian Health

Helped staff and Board think and communicate about our work in new ways…

Suzanne partnered with our staff and with our Board of Directors to use the power of stories to think and communicate about our work in new ways. We have already begun to see positive results from Suzanne’s engagements with us. She combined theory and practice in engaging ways so that we could apply what we learned directly to our work. With our Board of Directors, Suzanne’s methodologies and facilitation helped Board members unlock the aspects of our work that most move them and then helped them identify concrete steps they can take to be involved in our work and advance our mission.

David Waksberg, CEO
Jewish LearningWorks

Eye-opening and a worthy investment…

Suzanne’s workshop was eye-opening and a worthy investment. Her style is highly professional and also personal: Suzanne broke down what stories work and why, and she explained how different types of stories could help our organization meet its goals. She helped us think more deeply about how we communicate to our stakeholders and what we can do better.

Kelly Close, Founder & President
diaTribe Foundation and Close Concerns

Valuable thought partner who helped me grow as a leader…

Suzanne is a valuable thought partner who helped our organization think more strategically about how to reach our goals. She asked the right questions to sharpen our focus. I also valued her skills as a thoughtful listener and a supportive coach who helped grow my personal capacity as a communications leader.”

Marcel Reynolds, Former Communications Director
California School-Based Health Alliance

Accessible, open, a pleasure to work with…

Looking for advice and marketing strategies for a new children’s yoga studio, Suzanne presented us with over 20 areas to grow our market share and a clear road map for how to best approach these new areas. Her knowledge, experience, and encouragement pushed us to explore new marketing directions, which in turn helped us to create a more comprehensive marketing plan. Added to her marketing expertise, Suzanne was accessible, open and a pleasure to work with. We will definitely consult with her in the future.

Beth Houghton, Co-Founder/Owner
Yama Kids Yoga

Energy, creativity, collegiality…

Over the past 8 years I’ve had multiple opportunities to work with Suzanne to improve the quality of care at community clinics and public hospitals. Her training, coaching, and consulting enable these crucial healthcare organizations to communicate more effectively, strengthen teams, and tell their stories. Suzanne uses her knowledge of public health and the safety net to convey complicated concepts in an approachable way. Even more importantly, Suzanne’s energy, creativity, and collegiality foster a positive environment that supports healthcare professionals to learn new skills and create change.

Bridget Cole, Executive Director
Institute for High Quality Care

A better coach thanks to Suzanne…

Suzanne brings a sense of purpose, centeredness, and steady focus on the human factor essential to helping clients reach their goals. As a seasoned practice coach collaborating with Suzanne on a coaching team, I have become more mindful of my interactions with all my clients, putting Suzanne’s thoughtful techniques to work. I have become a better coach thanks to Suzanne.

Karen Taubert, Senior Consultant
Qualis Health

Finds innovative solutions to challenges…

Working with Suzanne is such a pleasure. She brings enthusiasm, creativity, and professionalism to each project she supports. She is a wonderful thought partner in developing strategy and is skilled at finding innovative solutions to challenges. Her contribution to our efforts significantly improved reach and impact.

Peggy Hilden, Director
Health Care Education Management, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan

Enabled our staff to work together more effectively…

Working with Suzanne during a period of significant change at a community clinic gave us the support we needed to shine. It was like stepping through a different door. Her training and coaching enabled our staff to work together more effectively, implement quality improvement measures more successfully, and bring a new perspective to our work that allowed those changes to really take hold.

Susan Thorn, Director of Nursing
Dignity Health and former Director of Quality Improvement at Chapa-De Indian Health Program

Guided me to accomplish our goal…

Suzanne and I have collaborated on increasing homeless access to care at a local community clinic in Los Angeles. She has been instrumental in propelling the project goal forward, helping identify the resistance and barriers as well as highlighting areas of strength.

To enhance buy-in from all levels of our organization, Suzanne helped us see how to tug on the heartstrings of the audience with a patient story, bringing our work back to our organization’s core vision and mission. It has been one of the biggest celebratory moments for the clinic, re-energizing the entire organization. I have to credit Suzanne for guiding me through accomplishing our goal.

Annie D. Kim, Quality Assurance
Saban Community Clinic

A master connector who knows how to bring right people together…

Suzanne is a master connector who knows how to bring the right people together to accomplish key business goals. She is able to craft and execute detailed and fresh communications strategies that help advance clear business objectives. Most noteworthy about her work style is her practical and kind manner. She listens carefully and responds thoughtfully.

Maureen McInaney, Associate Director
Research Communications, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan

Process as positive as the product…

Suzanne helped our foundation set the strategy for one of our biggest projects of the year. She did a great job tying everything together in a cohesive, well thought out plan that reflected people’s input, felt manageable, and was grounded in reality. This is not a report that will sit on the shelf. The process was as positive as the product. We are energized about the project and Suzanne even found a way to make it fun. As a result of her work, staff are on the same page and our path is much clearer. I highly recommend Suzanne. It was a pleasure to work with her.

Amanda Flores-Witte, Communications Officer
Kenneth Rainin Foundation

Experience, insight, and quick learning curve…

Suzanne hit the ground running and her pace never waned in the five months she served as a consultant to PHI. She brings an unusual blend of high-level strategy chops, practical and organized implementation talents, and understanding of public health, and the ability to work well with all kinds of people. Suzanne is great at making wonky concepts compelling and action-oriented. Her work included a flexible communications plan and messaging for a United Nations event on climate change, a media strategy for our 50th anniversary celebration, and work on a team to conceptualize and kick-start a new initiative. Suzanne’s experience, insight, and quick learning curve saved me time and made her consulting very cost-effective.

Ann Whidden, Director of Communications
Public Health Institute

Smart and savvy; a true professional…

Suzanne is a smart and savvy communicator who writes like a dream, keeps things organized and on track, and is a quick study. My team enjoyed working with her because complex topics move quickly and smoothly, always to a satisfying conclusion. Many of our best articles and multimedia were the result of collaboration with Suzanne. A true professional!

Lynn Mundell, Managing Editor
Kaiser Permanente
Read more testimonials