Who We Are › Our Team
Susan (Suzy) Cowen linkedin
Senior Principal
312.919.9380
Suzy (Susan) Cowen has over 30 years of executive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector and a sound track record of developing dynamic organizational cultures, succession planning, change management and talent acquisition. She also has an extensive background in board development, executive coaching and stewardship. Currently, Suzy leads CEO searches nationally for various sectors including human services, foundations, healthcare, museums, conservation, arts and culture, and professional trade associations.
Prior to joining Kittleman, she held leadership roles as the Chief Executive Officer and/or Executive Director at the Gateway Foundation, Kenneth Young Center, Family Services of Glencoe and the Illinois Collaboration on Youth. Suzy has also held operational and program leadership roles within behavioral health care organizations and hospitals. These combined experiences have provided her with firsthand knowledge in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, culture and team building, and complex change management.
She has an undergraduate degree from Indiana University in law and public policy and a master’s degree in social work administration from San Diego State University. She also completed two years of doctoral coursework in organizational development and design from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois. Suzy holds active licenses as an LCSW in Illinois and California.
Suzy has held Board positions in various sectors including with social service agencies and associations, as well as in the athletic and arts communities. She is a long-time resident of Chicago while maintaining an active community on the Central Coast of California. In her free time, you can find Suzy swimming anywhere she can find a pool or body of water—warm or cold!