Suzanne Coonan is an experienced Human Resources leader, consultant and leadership coach. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the human resources field including past positions at an MBA school, a legal publishing company, a technology consulting firm, and at Hewitt, a benefits outsourcing and consulting firm. Suzanne has been recognized for her exceptional interpersonal, facilitation, coaching, and leadership skills .
Most recently, Suzanne served as Vice President Human Resources at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, a not-‐for-‐profit MBA school dedicated to helping improves people’s lives through education. She was on the senior management team and was responsible for all aspects of human resources at the School including talent management, recruiting, leadership development, employee relations, HR technology, compensation/benefits, compliance and organizational development. She worked extensively with the schools board of directors and has a strong financial acumen with a track record of achieving measurable results.
Currently Suzanne is Principal of an HR consulting and coaching practice. She provides consulting as well as leadership development and career coaching to experienced business professionals who aspire to reach new heights or find meaning and balance in work and life. Her clients include individuals from Abbott, Allstate, Baxter, CVS/Caremark, GE, Grainger, HSBC, Johnson & Johnson and Wrigley/Mars, among others. In addition, she is an adjunct faculty member with the Lake Forest Graduate School of management’s corporate Education group where she facilitates sessions on career and leadership development.
Suzanne holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Positive Organizational Development and Change from Case Western Reserve University. She is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute and is a graduate of the Coach U coaching program. In addition, she has extensive experience working with not-‐for-‐profit boards and is a founding board member of BENNU Legal Services. She is also on the board of Career Resource Center in Lake Forest, IL and was previously chair of the HR committee of the board at the award-‐winning Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake, IL.