Susan Riker

Susan Riker has three decades of experience in leadership, business development, mentoring, and team building in the private and non-profit sectors in the US and around the world. She became a leadership coach because she genuinely believes that all individuals have the capacity for transformative personal and professional growth. As a coach, she is deeply committed to partnering with her clients to help them achieve bold goals and reach their full potential as leaders.

Throughout Susan’s career she has built, managed, and mentored individuals and teams. She brings her passion and experience gained from working with driven and accomplished professionals to her coaching. Her clients include senior-level leaders in corporate and nonprofit organizations facing major challenges or ready to take their leadership skills to the next level. Susan applies tools from across the fields of adult development, conscious leadership and mental fitness to help leaders achieve great results.

Susan’s career began in finance at Chase Manhattan Bank in international lending followed by publishing at U.S. News & World Report. She grew the business operations of the U.S. News college and graduate school franchises and played a pioneering role in building its digital business. As Vice President of Specialty Publishing and Interactive Media, Susan ran the development and management of all non magazine products – both analog and digital. She launched their book division and increased the reach and revenue of usnews.com through strategic marketing partnerships with leading academic, media, finance, and health organizations.

After two decades in business, Susan shifted into international non-profit development and advocacy work. She first served as Director of Communications and Development for Karamah, an international organization promoting Muslim women’s rights. Susan then joined HelpAge USA, an affiliate of UK-based HelpAge International, as Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development. She managed successful collaborations with teams on the ground in Africa, Asia, and Latin America focused on improving public health, strengthening civil society, income generation, and leadership skills development. She also built multi-year relationships with corporate and private foundations - including Pfizer, MetLife, Hilton, AARP, and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Susan is an ICF certified coach, a graduate of Georgetown University’s Executive Leadership Coaching Program and certified in Stanford University’s Designing Your Life Program. She is also certified as a Positive Intelligence Coach and in widely used assessment tools (e.g. Leadership Circle Profile, DiSC, and Key Polarity Indicator). Susan holds an MA in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a BA from Mt Holyoke College. She lives in Washington, DC, and has also lived in Teheran, Riyadh, Brussels, Paris, Madrid, London, and New York. Susan speaks French, Spanish, and conversational Italian.