Susan was one of the original founding members of ITV with her friend, Brie Stafford, and a group of volunteers. Susan is a 1995 graduate of Indiana University and a 1999 graduate of Valparaiso University School of Law. Susan also has her Masters of Law from Indiana University – Indianapolis. Susan is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA). She is also Bronze certified for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion by Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity. Susan started volunteering for Evansville Animal Control in the summer of 2010 after returning to her hometown of Evansville from Indianapolis. Seeing the dire need to help animals in Evansville, Susan worked with a dedicated group of volunteers to formally form ITV in November 2010. Susan also helped form the Vanderburgh County Animal Cruelty Task Force. She served as a volunteer Special Prosecutor for the task force from 2012-2015. Susan successfully prosecuted numerous animal cruelty cases resulting in guilty pleas or convictions. Susan is also one of the founding members of the Evansville Partnership for Animal Welfare (EPAW), a collaboration of animal welfare groups advocating for improving the lives of animals, including successfully passing a Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) ordinance. Susan has extensive education and training in animal advocacy, including taking coursework in animal law while obtaining her Masters of Law and attending numerous animal law continuing legal education courses and conferences. She attended the National Animal Cruelty Prosecution Conference, National Animal Cruelty Investigations School, Maddie’s Dog Foster Apprenticeship Program, Heart Speak’s Animal Marketing Workshop, Animals in Disaster Response Training, as well as numerous other training and educational opportunities. Susan has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management, serving on the Board of Directors for numerous nonprofit organizations. Susan also has a passion for helping disadvantaged youth, serving as a Guardian Ad Litem in court hearings representing foster kids, as well as starting a non-profit which helps orphans in Africa. Susan has extensive experience in philanthropy, including grant writing and fundraising for nonprofit organizations. She has a Certificate in Social Media Marketing & Fundraising and a Certificate in Digital Marketing and Fundraising from Nonprofit Tech for Good.
