Susan Barry brings over 35 years of executive leadership in the nonprofit, government, and social impact sectors. Susan has demonstrated expertise in nonprofit and foundation management, organizational development, fundraising, and executive coaching, with a consistent focus on building strong teams and driving transformational change.

She most recently served as CEO of GMA Foundations, an employee-owned firm providing advisory, management, and consulting services to private foundations and philanthropic families. She is the founder of deNovo Coaching, where she provides executive coaching to nonprofit leaders nationwide.

Susan’s foundation leadership includes serving as President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Louisville, where tenure during her she more than doubled assets to $750 million and average annual grantmaking levels, launched the Fund for Louisville to support under-resourced communities, and completed a $10 million endowment campaign in 18 months. As President of York County Community Foundation, she nearly tripled assets to $75 million, doubled annual gifts from $2.3 million to $15 million, and tripled grantmaking from $1.3 million to $5 million. She also served as Director of Development for the Rhode Island Foundation.

Beyond foundation leadership, Susan has extensive experience as an executive director of several nonprofit organizations focused on domestic violence prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in Rhode Island and Connecticut. She has also held policy positions in state government, including serving as a Policy Associate in the Rhode Island Governor’s Office, where she advised on policy matters across multiple state departments.

Susan earned her J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and is admitted to the Rhode Island Bar and Federal Bar. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Marquette University and has completed executive education programs at Brown University (Leadership Coaching) and Stanford University (Executive Program in Philanthropy). Susan has received three fellowships for her work in the field: the German Marshall Fund Fellowship, the York Federal Fellowship, and the Alden Fellowship of Louisville.

Susan is passionate about board governance, team building, and operational excellence.  Her approach to executive leadership has matured over more than three decades and is derived from her Clifton Strengths profile, which includes Maximizer, Positivity, Relator, Strategic, and Futuristic.

LinkedIn: Susan Barry