Susan Smith describes herself as a creative at heart. For more than 35 years, she has enjoyed helping organizations become stronger through thoughtful leadership, practical solutions, and sound governance.
After spending her career in Toronto and Southern Ontario, Susan and her husband chose to make Penticton home in 2017. As the founder of a successful management consulting practice, Susan spent more than a decade advising nonprofit organizations, professional firms, and businesses on operational excellence, strategy, governance, financial management, and leadership. She later served in executive leadership roles with Habitat for Humanity Canada, Naramata Centre Society, and Purppl, where she continued helping organizations build capacity, strengthen leadership, and create lasting impact.
Susan feels privileged to serve on the Board of the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen because it reflects the way she has approached leadership throughout her career. She believes lasting change comes through collaboration, thoughtful planning, and investing where resources can have the greatest impact. What particularly inspires her is the Foundation’s ability to look beyond individual funding requests to the needs of the community as a whole—bringing people together, strengthening local organizations, and investing in initiatives that create lasting benefits for the region.
Today, Susan is enjoying this new chapter of life by combining her passion for community with outdoor adventure, lifelong learning, and discovering all that the South Okanagan has to offer.