Bringing 20 years of marketing and communications experience, including 16 years with the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), Susan manages D+P’s Tourism, Hospitality & Events practice.

Sue’s team of event planners and publicists has developed and managed efforts for various restaurants and hotels in and around the region including the launch of Daniel Stern’s Rae restaurant in University City; the opening of The Grill restaurant and marina at Forty 1 º North in Newport, Rhode Island; and the re-branding of City Grange at The Westin Philadelphia.

Highlights of Sue’s PCVB career include working with a team responsible for promoting Philadelphia as a tourism destination in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands and Ireland.  She has represented Philadelphia to media and tour operators in each of those markets, and has participated in numerous international travel tradeshows.

In 2000, she also served as director of marketing communications for Philadelphia 2000, the Host Committee for the 2000 Republican National Convention.  She established a committee of marketing and public relations leaders to maximize the opportunities from hosting 15,000 national and international media in Philadelphia during the convention.  She oversaw the activities of the committee and each of its nine sub-committees.

She served as chair of the Philadelphia Host City’s marketing communications committee for the ESPN X Games.  She was instrumental in creating The Photo of the Century project, which, on July 4, 1999, gathered in Philadelphia more than 100 people born on the Fourth of July, one each year from 1900-1999, and at least one from each state.  The event drew international attention and earned a PR Week award for the best publicity stunt of the year.  She produced a video narrated by C. Everett Koop, M.D., to promote the city as a destination for health care conventions.

She has worked on the planning and promotion of many events, including Welcome America!, where she worked with the Mayor’s office and numerous corporations on sponsorships for the July Fourth events, including the grand opening of the Pennsylvania Convention Center; on Benjamin Franklin 1990, a commemoration for the 200th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s death; and on Philadelphia activities for the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, and Columbus 500.

At Meridian Bancorp, she was assistant vice president of community relations, overseeing several bank sponsorships and community programs, including the award-winning Days of Hope calendar campaign for the homeless.  As senior account executive at The Tierney Group, she worked on Advanta’s sponsorship of the Cezanne exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Sue graduated with Honors from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in Advertising.  In 2001, she was named Outstanding Young Alumni.  She serves on the Foundation Board of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital and the hospital’s President’s Council.  She is chair of Magee’s Night of Champions Committee for Wheelchair Athletes and Community Programs.  She also serves on the national communications committee for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and on a national advisory committee for the American Stroke Association.