It was such an honor to be presented with the Lee Salmon Sustainable Leadership Award by my coaching colleagues. You can watch the video of the event and see photos of those who attended over at the Library of Professional Coaching.
More than 20 of the roughly 40 participants who dropped in and out during the ceremony from around the world spoke up regarding their connection to, and experience of Suzi. Below are written comments that were submitted by those who could not attend the celebration as well as the transcribed comments from those in attendance. Comments are from colleagues, clients, friends and family. To watch the video of the zoom celebration, please visit the link above.
“A word about the Lee Salmon Sustainable leadership award: Suzi and many others here today remember Lee for helping us build the International Consortium for Coaching in Organizations (ICCO), as an unwavering board member, who truly believed in the transformative power of coaching. He passed away ten years ago. The award in his name was created to recognize the lifetime achievement of coaches like Suzi Pomerantz. People who guarantee the sustained continuity of our profession. People like Suzi, with her solid spiritual foundation (in other words, she has “done the work”), with profound caring for others’ success, and a contagious, collaborative generosity towards her colleagues of different generations and abilities. Lee would be very proud of the way we all came together today – as friends – in appreciation for the tireless and inspiring Suzi Pomerantz.” Agnes Mura
To see other awards Suzi has received, visit the Awards page of this site.
The comments celebrating Suzi Pomerantz’s receipt of the prestigious Gordon Lee Salmon Sustainable Leadership Award provide rich insights into her transformative impact as a leader. This award, presented by the Library of Professional Coaching, recognizes Suzi’s pioneering work in sustainable leadership development.
Colleagues’ Comments
Suzi – my fellow coach, cherished friend, and a source of constant inspiration to me and so many others. While I am sorry I cannot be part of today’s celebration, I am thrilled that you are being recognized for your leadership in the coaching profession over 3 plus decades. Your commitment to constantly elevating our profession, protecting its integrity, and promoting its power to transform leaders and the world has made you a more than worthy recipient of this honor. With heartfelt admiration and deep gratitude, Margie Warrell
I remember very clearly when I met Suzi for the first time. it was maybe 20 years ago and I was a member of the Renaissance Executive Forums run by Lee Self. And Suzi came in as our subject matter expert and she did an exercise with the group. There were maybe 12 of us in the room, and she passed out a green cardboard sheet of paper and asked us to write our name at the top and then pass it to our right. And that person needed to write something they admired about that person and they passed it again and again and again and again. And when that card got back to me it had 11 or so comments from my colleagues and I’ll never forget how that made me feel. I didn’t realize what all these people thought about me as a friend and a contributor and a member of the group. and I feel probably Suzi you feel the same way today to hear all these wonderful things that people think about you. but I have to say I looked at myself in a different way after that meeting and I have that card to this day. it was the most impactful guest speaker in the five years I was a member. maybe I saw 50 or 60 subject matter experts and Suzi was by far the most impactful to me and so we’ve since continued being friends. I love Suzi and your family and I think your greatest gift is that you have a way to get people to see themselves for what they can be and not who they think of themselves as and that gap is in many cases very significant. I’ll never forget and I just want to thank you for having you help me see myself for what I could be, so thank you, Suzi. Mike Schmidtmann
Greetings and salutations, this is Dr. Willie Jolley, and I am honored to be a friend of Suzi Pomerantz, host of the Willie Jolley Show on SiriusXM and a few other things. We’ve been friends for over 20 years, and I’ve always been impressed with her depth of ethos, her depth of caring, and her wisdom for listening to somebody’s issue and situation and giving a solution to a problem that makes sense. So we’ve heard so many, so many people have said so many things. I want to make sure that I give a great shout-out to uh the kids. Y’all are blessed to have this Mom, and she loves you, and you love her, and y’all have grown up in our sight, and we’re so proud of you, as she is. So I will just give you this one thought: in the 1700s, there was a person who went from street lamp to street lamp, lighting the wicks of the candlesticks so there would be light along the path for the people who followed behind or came that way that evening. That person might not have been a celebrity, a household name, but you knew they had been that way by the light that they left. Suzi Pomerantz is a modern-day lamp lighter. We celebrate you, Suzi, we appreciate you, Suzi, and I know your Best Is Yet To Come. You’re just getting started, and we will probably come around some other time to have even greater acknowledgments about your great work. Bravo to you, bravo to you, bravo to you. Dr. Willie Jolley
Suzi Pomerantz is indeed a very special person and a true pioneer and leader. I am so delighted you are celebrating Suzi’s contributions and accomplishments, and we are lucky to have her in the coaching community! Warmest wishes. Karlin Sloan
“Suzi was the first coach to welcome me to DC and she’s never stopped welcoming me. Suzi is endlessly supportive of individual coaches, like me, of the coaching community, and of the coaching profession as a whole. With her love, kindness, and support, Suzi embodies what it means to be a coach. Congratulations Suzi. I love you” – Alison Whitmire
“Suzi stands out in our coaching community as a leader and supporter for us all trying to make a difference in our world. Her consistent commitment to enlightening and developing the worldwide coaching community is awe-inspiring. She is always there to help. Her wisdom is deep. I am proud to be a colleague of Suzi Pomerantz.” Marcia Reynolds, PsyD, MCC
We’ve moved Heaven and Earth, literally, to be here because we had an earthquake on my side of the world yesterday. I think it’s appropriate the heavens and the Earth is moving for Suzi today. Suzi, we are so honored. I mean everyone is saying it. You have the huge heart. You’re a caring and over-and-above friend. Just so present and such a warm safe space to land. Agnes, you said collaborative generosity. I think that that explains Suzi so well. And Suzi, I don’t remember when we met, and it’s actually a good thing, because a lot of times I meet people and it’s jarring – like something jarring occurred, but that means we infiltrated each other’s world in a smooth way and it grew – I’m sure we met at some ICF conference, but it grew through Conversation Among Masters conferences and then we had a little spicy few years as the Superpower Sisterhood that included a handful of women and some of them on this call and that was just such a blessing to me to get so much more time with you and the women that we hung out with. I was walking through the mall in the last month with another friend and out from the shelf yelled to me this journal that was purple with a dragon on it and I know purple and Dragons to be two of Suzi ‘s favorite things. So I looked up the significance of the color purple: royalty, nobility, luxury, and power. And Dragon’s known as supernatural power, wisdom, strength, and hidden knowledge. So, I find it just no mistake that those are two things that you’re attracted to on the planet at this time that just so embody so many of your qualities. And I just hope life is kind to you and we can all continue to be in each other’s company. Thank you for all you’ve done to make coaching have an imprint on this world and you certainly have one and we love you to pieces. Love you. Laura Berman Fortgang
I reiterate so much of what’s been said, it’s just been such a joy to sit and listen to all the beautiful things that you all have said about Suzi. And Suzi, I concur with every single one of those, so I’m going to talk about a couple of different things. One, I love that you’re getting the Lee Salmon award, and I went back and remembered the first time that we gave that award out, and it was in the backyard of Susanna (Zsuzsi) Isaacson’s house, and another great, you know, coach, who has left us. And I just got this image of you standing on the shoulders of both Lee and Susana, Suzi, you know, one foot on each of their shoulders, and you know, you are creating that kind of legacy that both of them did, and so many similar characteristics of generosity and deep love and care and competence. So I have a couple of quick stories, and I don’t think this has been mentioned very much, but Suzi, you are such an excellent presenter and facilitator and trainer, and I remember when I was in a short workshop you gave at ICF with a partner on marketing for coaches, and to this very day I used the model you shared with us with all my clients, and I recommend your book, ‘Seal the Deal’, often to them, and you just floated through that room like the goddess that you are and cast such a spell, and you know, had us all in the palm of your hands, and that is a moment in time that I will never forget, and I am sure you have replicated many, many times. The second thing is, you gave me the model of you can schedule your own professional life, and I am forever grateful for that, because I was locked into the Monday through Friday 9 to 5 thing, and you were the first person I ever knew who said, I don’t do that, I take Mondays and Fridays off, and that you had created a full-time coaching schedule on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Thursdays, so I have done the same thing and, it has meant so much to me through the years. And then finally, I just want to say that the coaching Mastermind group that you and I have been a part of for so many years, four of us met monthly, we called ourselves the Muses, has been such a joy in true collegiality through laughter and tears and diving deeply and sharing resources in ourselves and our struggles and triumphs with each other, it’s just been such a blessing in my life, and I love you just like everybody else on this call. Thank you for including me today. Lynnette Yount
Suzi, yeah I could talk for way too long, but I wanna say I agree with Bill that this should happen for everyone, and I am so… when I got the invitation I started to cry. It’s like, oh yes! This is exactly what’s wanted and needed at this particular juncture in life. So, there two things I want to talk to. When I first met Suzi it was like I wouldn’t say she wasn’t sure of herself, in fact there is this steel rod of confidence inside her, but from time to time she loses it and at that point you know she really needed a lot of people to say “no, you can do this. And it was so clear this is what she wanted to do. So, one of my favorite things in life has been watching her bloom and grow and become this major contributor on the planet. And you’ve all talked about that. There are two things I want to talk about though, and her mom mentioned it, but I want to mention it because I’ve watched her. I’ve been there for all the big – you know her marriage, the pregnancies, I was at your bris, Bryan (I’m sorry) holding you. And meeting her brothers a long, long time ago at various events and bar mitzvahs. The thing I most love about Suzi though, is her ability to be a peacock. Somebody told me once, I don’t know if it’s true, that peacocks eat poison and just get more be beautiful. She has a particular relationship with trials in life that I know she thinks she’s not going to get through, but on the other end of it she is more amazing. She’s used every piece of it to give away to other people. And I think that’s the center of her ability to coach so profoundly. She’s got this generosity and it’s just so much ingrained in her. If she gets anything she gives it away. If there’s any piece of knowledge or a client or a gift she can give somebody to boost them on their way, it’s just such a natural act for her. I have loved watching her be a mom and because that is the most precious joy to her. And she’s a very conscious mom, and even when things have been like “I don’t want to go through this” – there have been times, kids – she again has kind of grabbed onto it and used it to become a better person and better mom, a better giver. It really Suzi, it is a joy in my life to kind of go on this journey with you and to be an observer and a friend and a confidante and vice versa, so I really appreciate and have great gratitude for our relationship. Love you. Jackie Eiting
All right, Suzi, I’m gonna try my hardest not to break out into tears here. So before I speak to you, I want to speak to Bryan and Sammi. You know I speak to your mom almost weekly. Every call – like someone said – is always filled with tales of the two of you. and it really makes my heart happy today that you get to see how many people love your mom, and that you get a big moment to be proud of her, because she is so proud of the two of you. So it’s really wonderful to see you here. Suzi, I am so happy that I was able to be here for you today because you deserve all this love and it couldn’t come at a better time I think for you right now. With the common thing I’m really hearing from everybody besides you being their coach or your colleague or an advisor is that you’re everybody’s friend and that just comes from your great big heart and how much you care about people. and it shows up in almost everything you say and you do – that it’s always about other people and then it gets to be about you and I’m so excited that you’re going to enter a period of your life where it gets to be all about you — and your kids of course. and that really brings me joy. Although it’s a tough time you know during the process to get there. like what people said you’re generous, you’re a brilliant coach, you’re kind. Your intuition is amazing, and you care about the world in such a big way. I’ve been able to witness that and what I really have loved is over the years, what I hear consistently from you is that the way you want to make an impact is to help others make their impact in the world. and you’ve done that. I hear that from you and I’ve seen that from you and I appreciate that. and I appreciate your friendship. I appreciate your coaching when we do coaching together. And I just appreciate the human being you are. You are a model for all of us, I think, and you are an inspiration. So thank you so much for being in my life. Love you. Renee Freedman
Suzi, so lovely to be invited into this room of people. Anywhere you are is “the room where it happens”. A few words, as I have had to leave. We met at ATCO conference in 2006 in Colorado. You were the star of the event as the trailblazer you are. Whatever you choose to do shows what a Trailblazer you are. This tribute to you is long deserved. Suzi, you are the real deal, as every person here can attest. I see you as the transformational person that you are. You transform the negative into positive because you are a Transformer, and you carry us all off to new perspectives because you are the Mystical Dragon. Great to see your kids as part of today, great to see the crowd of people, great to witness this today. Grateful to you, much love, Dorothy. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get a chance to say something today at your very beautiful celebration of you getting the Lee Salmon Award. You so deserve it. But I wanted to say Suzi, in a world of hype, you’re the real thing. In a world of loneliness, you’re a friend to people. Today is obvious. In a world of kind of pretense posturing, you’re the authentic, deep resource. In a world where people just say whatever, you speak the truth. You’re a truth-teller. And I think actually there’s so much about your goodness, but I want to say, you know, when I reflect on you, one of the things that you do is you do really transform darkness into light. You’re a darkness transformer, and that’s how you alchemically remove the poisons around you and lighten the burden for others. So I revere you. I admire you. I’m sorry I didn’t speak for you today. My Zoom things were not working. No signals were working. I don’t know why, but I have so much love and respect and admiration and can’t even tell you, and you deserve every piece of goodness. Mazel Tov, you are the mensch of not only the moment- of all moments, and you deserve today. And I hope you are sitting and absorbing and letting all of your telomeres kvell from the goodness you received. And your kids, they should just always be protected and reflect their love to you because they were so proud for you today. Appropriately so. Lots of love. Many thanks for somehow including me. It was an honor.” Dorothy Siminovitch
“I just want to say a few words about my friend Suzi Pomerantz. Suzi was actually a student of mine at one point when I was at the University of Virginia at the Northern Virginia Center. I was teaching some classes there and she took several of them and we got to know each other after class, she would come and talk and we got to know a lot about each other and when I was getting ready to retire from that job and move on to my next career I mentioned it to Suzi and she said, “well, let’s get coffee and talk about it” so we met over at Tyson’s 2 – I’ll never forget it at the Starbucks over there, and she said to me “well, you know, what do you want to do, where are you now, what do you want to do?” kind of thing and she and she had said at the outset “you might want to think about becoming a coach because it plays to some of your strengths” and I kind of well you know what is that all about? She said, “well, let me coach you for a little bit, we’ll see, I’ll show you what it’s about rather than just tell you about it” and she did that. Asked me you know where I was, what I wanted to do, what were my values, and really coached me for about 20 minutes and she said, “what do you think?” and I said, “Gee, that was that was really good” and I decided at that moment to really look into the coaching, which I did and later became a coach and for18 years have been a coach and pretty successful at it – largely because of Suzi. Because that first two years I would call her up with all kinds of questions like, what do you do when a guy says this or somebody says that or what should I – how should I pursue this or that? She was always there, very generous with her time, because I think Suzi at her heart even though she’s technically a coach, she’s really I think, below the surface under-girding that is a teacher and I think that’s where she comes from – and a very generous one at that, so it’s my pleasure that she’s getting the Lee Salmon award. I’ve known – I knew Lee for some years, in fact he and I had offices in the same building, so I know his values and I know Suzi and it’s so appropriate that she’s getting this award now. I wish you nothing but the best, Suzi.” Steve Gladis, PhD.
I was thinking a bit about Suzi before the call and thinking what would I say. I’ve known this woman – I was trying to figure out when we met and it was at where I met a lot of you actually, which was at the Executive coaching Summit I think back in 2001, so 23 years ago. I’m like blown away because I am not that old. I remember meeting and the one thing I remember, the story I remember was we got to be almost instant friends and I remember walking out a door and looking at Suzi and saying, “I saw a picture of you on your website or something and it does not look like you and so I need to take a picture that looks like you” and I remember pulling out I don’t know if that time I had a phone or a digital camera but I took a photo and I remember you used that photo for a little while and I said this looks like you, you need to use this photo. So that’s my little personal story, but I just want to appreciate Suzi. We have been in touch I don’t know monthly for I can’t even remember how long yeah years and years and years as buddies and I just want to appreciate a few things. One is her incredible wisdom. She’s always been like one of the youngest coaches and but so far advanced for her age, number one. Always her intuition about people just the way she gets insights about things I’ve always appreciated her entrepreneurial spirit is like beyond just go go go go go all the time and finally and I’m so glad her kids are on the call I see her as an incredible so dedicated mother and caring for her family in such deep and wonderful way so those are things that stand out to me I wanted to go first one so I could just relax and listen to the rest of you not wonder about what I was going to say but also I didn’t want to have to think oh everybody already said those things what am I going to say so there you have it. Suzi I love you and I’m so glad to be here. Ken Kesslin
I can’t even remember when we met, I mean it’s been almost 20 years. Like we’ve, you know, kind of grown up together professionally. You’ve become one of my dearest friends and closest confidantes. It takes a long time to grow a deep relationship and that is something that we have had the time and the space to do and both personally and professionally not only through our Mastermind group that we are with Mike Schmidtmann’s on the call and we’re representing with Bill Cates and Willie Jolley and Zemira Jones we have a just an incredible Mastermind that has become such an important part I think of both of our lives, but beyond that Suzi you and I have had this opportunity to cultivate such a deep, deep connection and you know the way I go through life and in the world through my work has always been the commitment to wanting to create a safe space for others where people can come up for air Ram Dass is one of my all-time favorite teachers and that’s something that I embody a lot in my work but Suzi you are one of the most sacred spaces for me to come up for air right you’re who I go to so that I can come up for air you are the mirror that I need you’re that voice of wisdom you’re that voice of compassion and love. I know that you want nothing more than the best for me as I want for you, and so for me to come to you not only when things are wonderful in my life but when I’m in those really dark places you have been a Lifeline for me and you’ve been a voice of compassionate truth when I need to see the truth when I can’t see that and so you are just such a blessing in my life and I wouldn’t have missed this for the world and I’m so grateful that you are being honored this way because the world needs your light it needs your love it needs your light and it’s just been such an honor to be able to be alongside of you on the journey so far and I know that for both of us The Best Is Yet To Come and we will continue to be each other’s greatest cheerleaders you know as we move through this world so I just want you to know how much I love you and cherish you and honor you and appreciate you and how grateful I am that you are alongside of me on my journey. Marissa Levin
Thank you for inviting me. Thanks for having me here. This is going to be tough to top. I’m glad that I was third in line. Suzi and I are neighbors and I feel bad that even though we’ve known each other since 2005 or 2006 I think it was, we haven’t seen each other more than we have, but we kind of like evolve in different circles and more importantly I came way after you. You were already a coach for 20, 25 years when I came on the scene in 2005 and I met you at an ICF DC chapter conference and this was my first. I had just got you know trained maybe certified I don’t remember where I was in my path, I was really at the very beginning and I volunteered to do some exercise on stage and at some point I said that I was a young mom and a beginner coach and I was looking for other young moms coaches that would like to start a group together and lo and behold Suzi who’d been a coach for 25 years and probably by then already an MCC you know came and talked to me afterwards and said she’d love to be part of that group and so we created the Montgomery County Mom coaches so it was MC squared was the name of the group and we were all four five or six of us we were beginner coaches or you know at the very beginning of our path and Suzi was the only seasoned coach in the group and so what I want to tell you Suzi is that you I was blown away that you’d want to spend time with us like what did we have to contribute to you what did we why would you and you gave us so much wisdom and you shared with such generosity and you never looked down on us and you never treated us like you were Superior and we were inferior we were newbies and you weren’t experienced and it gave us such a gift to learn from you to learn from somebody who was so far ahead of us on the path both because you had so much to share and so much to teach us but also because you weren’t arrogant about it and it wasn’t like you were looking down at us in in our path and so this in and of itself was a lesson in coaching you know this equality and this non-superiority that you extended to us and this generosity that you extended to us and then I want to say you know we haven’t met on a super regular basis over the years again because I’m a life coach and I we don’t do exactly the same things but when we do we meet for our little coffees we have what I feel is a pretty intimate relationship and you help me with my okay I’m gonna say my shit and I think sometimes I’ve been there to help you with yours and I’ve listened to you and I’ve just always been just incredibly grateful that we have this thing and I know you have this I’ve always been a little jealous because you know you have this with you know 250 other people not just me but it made me feel special nonetheless to have to be blessed to have you in my life in my work life to have you to call every time you know and you’ve been again over the years just so generous introducing me to CAM and to other places and just always, always answering when I have any sort of question without any hesitation and any fear that that I’m going to steal from you or anything like this so I want to second also what Ken said which is like I cannot believe your the amount of work that you produce and what you give the world – the world of coaching you just never stop you never slow down you are an incredibly creative person you go everywhere you do everything for everyone so yes we’re all very the world of coaching the World At Large everybody on this call and myself we’re incredibly, incredibly lucky to have you, so glad to be here thank you. Pascale Brady
Oh my Suzi. So I’m trying to remember when we first met. It’s got to be at least 20 years ago at least and everywhere I went I was either invited by Suzi and or Suzi was a part of it: CAM, ICCO, the Library of Professional Coaching, she’s been on our editorial board forever, she’s my personal Guru for the business and she’s my personal – you are – I’m gonna just talk to you, Suzi. You’re there for me all the time. Like some others have said, I have no idea how you do it, but you have time for all of us when we have our highs when we have our lows you are there and we’ve shared a few of our own and one of my favorite stories though, and I have to say this is – she has this kind of thing for Disney, okay. So I still remember you, me and Wendy taking that monorail to go for dinner in Disney because we were not leaving Florida until Suzi went to Disney. The other absolutely beautiful thing (and this is for you two kids, I’m so glad to meet you) your mother talks about you all the time, how she’s so proud of who you’ve become, what you’re doing, how independent, smart – seriously I talk to your mom at least once every two weeks and there’s always something about the two of you. Suzi thank you for sharing and for everything, everything you’ve done for me for the coaching industry and for all of the people here who love you. Thank you. Garry Schleifer
Wow. Suzi! Look at this! This is amazing I’m really jealous too, Pascal is your neighbor? So you ought to be really happy that I’m not your neighbor because I’d be over your house every day. I’d be the neighbor looking through the windows trying to figure out if you hiding from me or not with that cup of coffee or something. But I only met Suzi a couple of years ago and I you know there just so many words that come to mind – intentional you know? She’s such a credible individual, she reaches out, she shares willingly, she’s so incredibly lovable, and it’s just like she’s just my girlfriend and — I’m actually her favorite – I hate to tell you all this it’s just gonna put it out there, just a little below the kids, because like everyone that said she loves you all there’s no way we’re not gonna love you both so we’re not gonna I’m not gonna try to usurp that that role but she’s really engaging. I love the time that we get to share where we say we’re going to have a cup of coffee and it turns to lunch and then you know we’re closing down the restaurant before they have to get ready for dinner. She creates these incredible – someone said Sacred Space. I thought that was such a good way to describe who she is. I love the fact that the way that she is someone also said like being family-focused, and she is like a big huge hug. She’s like a giant hug. When I see her I can just exhale all over her. She brings you in and makes you feel human and normal and that it’s okay to not have all your crap together, right? You know – I know in front of the whole world we try to make everyone feel like we have it all together and we’re you know we’re killing it on the scene, but behind the scenes we don’t have anyone to — no shoulder to cry on and no one to you know help pull us together and I just love being able to come to Suzi with my Humanity and she receives it without judgment. She is truly someone who is a mile wide and a mile deep and I am so grateful to have you in in my life and I look forward to our future coffee conversations to hear more of your wisdom. So just congratulations on this, it is so, so deserved. I’m so proud of you. Pam Green
By the way, part of the reason for convening this today and the ones we’ve done is what a tragedy it is that all this comes at our funerals, and most of us ain’t around to hear what’s being said. I think, and what a blessing it is to hear of this love now, not later. One of the things that’s interesting is that the award has usually been given out with a sort of display that’s been often underplayed, you know, just kind of glass that you see through. And especially with Jeannine, it became clear that Suzi needed something that was just reaching out, that was filled with color, filled with the vibrance and excitement. Suzi, I’m not going to say words here that everyone else has said, but just there is that vibrance that Jeannine captured. There is that silliness, by the way. I mean, you can be downright silly, and I just love what Jeannine put together in that box. That box is just outrageous. And my dear, loving friend, you are outrageous and wonderful and very, very special in my life. And I, as a Scandinavian, I’m sitting here tearing up, which is supposed to be impossible for us. So, thank you, my dear. I’m wondering if this is a good time to bid farewell. What more, and what better, can be said than by our dear, dear, beloved Suzi Pomerantz? Suzi, you have done it, my dear friend, and I hear people saying that you’re going to do it even more in the future., I’m glad you all came, and we will be honoring other people in this profession in the future. And on behalf of Lee Salmon, it’s an important field, this thing called professional coaching, and I think the backbone of it has something to do with appreciation and love and respect. And this event today, and the other Lee Salmon award ceremonies we’ve had, I hope are aligned with that spirit that comes with the Lee Salmon award. Dr. Bill Bergquist
Clients’ Comments
“My gratitude for Suzi: Suzi is a force. I would not be where I am today as a leader without her coaching and care. We met during an accelerator at a point where I was struggling. Then COVID hit. Through the ups and downs of rising to meet the needs of COVID, navigating organizational growth, and reckoning with the type of leader I wanted/want to be, Suzi was a source of insight, perspective, and compassion. She was a partner in looking at sticky situations, providing tools that helped me unstick myself and thus the organization. I am forever grateful for Suzi and am thrilled that her work is being acknowledged with this award. I only wish I could be there in person to give her a huge hug – something that despite working together for years, we’ve never done! Suzi, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being you and being in my life.” Jaime-Alexis Fowler
For the past 13 years, Suzi has not just been my Executive Coach, she’s been my voice of reason, my shoulder, my lens of clarity, and my friend. She’s helped me through dark times, helped me see myself in a new and more forgiving way, and she’s helped shape the way I think, interact, support, and lead. I’m grateful for her wisdom and knowledge, but mostly for her support and kindness. Suzi is incredibly deserving of this award, and I’m so thankful that she made her way into my life, as she changed it for the better, and helped drive it down a better path. Congratulations to Suzi! Jen Levithan
It is not surprising to me in any way that Suzi Pomerantz is being given this award, which I guess says something in and of itself. Her work with me helped me to find a path to thriving during a time in which, although it looked to the outside world that I was thriving, I was really only barely surviving. She was my coach, my cheerleader, and my friend equally. The reverberations of her sessions with me still vibrate in the threads of my life. Congratulations, Suzi! — Kellee Santiago
“Suzi’s unique blend of empathy, expertise, and intuitive understanding of human and organizational dynamics does more than just make her a great coach: it makes her a trusted confidant, a collaborator, and with a healthy dose of her mischievousness, a humorous co-conspirator. She can reframe any discussion within the grand arc of the human experience, and then laugh together at the absurdity of our ambitions. It’s disarming. She penetrates conceits, and helps us build on a foundation of our true selves. It has been a sincere privilege to have been a fellow traveler, and I offer her my admiration and gratitude.” Chris Lunt
“Beyond a brilliant coach, Suzi is a cheerleader – as in this game of life you need both. Suzi is one of the most generous and kind people I know, and her heart shines through in every interaction. I admire (and adore) her uncanny ability to wrap her advice in amazing visual metaphors that stay with you long after the conversation has ended. Her guidance is never generic; it’s always profoundly thoughtful and meticulously tailored to your unique situation. Suzi’s impact on my life is immeasurable, and I am deeply grateful for her wisdom, support, and friendship. She deserves ALL the awards, and I am so glad that today she is presented with this one.” Yana Buhrer Tavanier
Suzi, it has been so fun. That’s my call right there, to become great with Suzi on the phone. God, thank you so much for this invitation. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. I’m actually – my son’s a collegiate golfer, I’m at a golf tournament right now, so I appreciate the break, because they’re making us walk 36 holes today. so I appreciate the time that I get to come into the clubhouse and just be with you and tell you how awesome you are and how I have such immense admiration and gratitude to you. You personally have profoundly impacted my life, my career. I have kids the same age as Suz – a boy and a girl – and so she has helped me walk that journey which hasn’t always been so fun. It’s been challenging and wonderful all at the same time, so I thank you for that. But you really have transformed me. The trajectory of my life and my career has – it wouldn’t be the same without you in my life. And we’ve known each other forever. I remember when I had an opportunity to choose my coach and you were the first one I called and your response back to me was “have you interviewed anyone else?” and I said “no I haven’t but I feel a connection” and you said “go interview someone else” and I did and I didn’t even make the full hour on either of the other two calls because I knew firmly like you were you were my person that I had to be with. You’ve become more than a coach to me, you’re a friend, you’re a trusted adviser. And just to let you know how impactful you have been in my life truly. I’m so blessed to have you in my circle of friends and in my life as a coach. So thank you for that. Thank you. Laurie McClintock
For those of you who don’t know me, you will be surprised that I am somewhat succinct in my comments. Hey as somebody who filibusters for a living. A very famous presidential speechwriter once said, “big things are best said with small words.” So, thank you. Thank you for all you do. Thank you for always being there. Michael Robinson
So first, let me take a moment and express deep gratitude to Maureen and William and The Professional School of Psychology. This is incredible, and I’m truly grateful that y’all have taken this moment to recognize this amazing human being. Also, quick shout out — thank you — immense amount of gratitude to Renee for connecting Suzi and I so many years ago. Now. Truly nothing but immense gratitude to you, Suzi. There are those individuals in your life who you can say unabashedly, without thinking twice, that they had an impact on you and changed the entire course of your life. I hear a lot of that in this in this room and truly I can say Suzi is one of those people for me. In my professional life, in my career, in my personal life, in all those times in my marriage where my wife has said “thank God you talked to Suzi”. And into me becoming a parent and having this wonderful little toddler around. The conversations we have had, the reflections you have shared back with me, the moments you have helped me think through and dig into some of the most complex and challenging things I’ve ever faced, and helped me — helped guide me to the place where I had the courage to do what was right, the ability to stand up and truly without hesitation stand up for the people that are with me, that are beside me, that are working alongside me, that are working for me. The just the true centering and space from which I operate gives me the ability to always come back to the conversations we’ve shared the lessons you’ve taught me, the mentorship, the coaching, everything. Like, truly my life is better for having known you, and always will be. I mean, there are so many things I could say but I think I can say nothing deeper than that. That truly – I am blessed, and I am so eternally grateful for the incredible person you are, for how giving you are, for all the work that you do in the world. It matters in so many ways. And there like I know we’re all on this call and so many of us have had our lives impacted by your incredible work. What we don’t see are all of the millions of network nodes and connections that are all impacted by the change you have had on our lives, and the way that your incredible work, your incredible heart, your deep spirituality and wisdom impacts not just the people you talk to but everybody around you, and everybody throughout the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything, truly. I can say nothing more than thank you from the deepest bottom of my heart and through my soul. David Kanter
Friends’ and Family Comments
So, I’m kind of a Suzi newbie, I’ve only known her maybe a year and a half, two years. I met her through a friend’s party, Shawn Adler, on the phone, and what’s remarkable to me is how the same person that I know from fun drinks at a pool party is the same person you all know through all the different experiences, that all the different ways in which you’ve encountered her. It’s the same wonderful, multi-dimensional, spiritual, compassionate, insightful person. Over gin, somehow in five seconds, we were talking about God and Heaven and the life after death, and I’m like, ‘oh, this is the kind of person I want to hang out with more.’ So you know, we, we kind of stuck it out. But what’s also occurring to me is the echoes of that authentic person that she is, echoing in everyone here. This is a truthful moment, this moment is real. The moments when you second guess yourself and you doubt yourself and you wonder, ‘what should I, should I have not?’ Those are the voices that are leading you astray. The voices now, here, this is true. And I just saw ‘The Prince of Egypt’ the other day. If any of you celebrate Easter or Passover, please watch that film. That song, ‘Through Heaven’s Eyes,’ – how we really lack the capability to truly see ourselves and what we’re worth and what we mean. But in a moment like this, you’re getting that rare opportunity to see yourself through Heaven’s eyes. The love, the honesty, the beauty present in this space is a reflection of the truth of who you are. So thank you, Suzi. Dave Boulet
Hello, thank you everybody for being here to support my mom. We’re both really appreciative about it and mom we’re really, really so proud of you and thankful for everything you’ve done for us and we love you so much. Bryan Pomerantz
I just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you to everyone who’s here it’s so wonderful to see all your faces and to put names to faces that we’ve been hearing about for years it’s so wonderful and I know you’re all a big part of our mom’s life and you really make a difference for her so, so thank you. Samanatha Pomerantz
So, I didn’t know if I could be here today and that’s part of the reason that I didn’t send in anything, but it’s probably just as well that I didn’t. And in listening to everything that everyone has been saying I could repeat it all but there are moments in your life where you turn around and you look back and you go that’s when everything changed, that’s when I went on this course and when I started to get to where I am now was when I was in the middle of a really froofy, very ugly sorority house at the University of Virginia and surrounded by froofy sorority girls and this random person walks across the room, breaks into the circle and starts talking with her hands, and I thought I like this girl alright, maybe I’ll come back. and then it rained the next night and I didn’t go anywhere and I gave up, and then I saw her again in a class from afar and then I saw her again in another class from afar and then we were both in the Ed school together in the summer of 1988 and we introduced ourselves to each other and that was it. Best friends ever since, ever since. Suzi brought me two brothers, sometimes I like them, sometimes I don’t, two lovely children who I get to dote on and care about and see do amazing things and a whole family, because what Suzi did was include me in her entire life and that’s not something that everyone does or everyone can do, but she’s generous and she’s kind and she’s thoughtful and she’s warm, she’s too empathetic for her own good and not selfish enough, but she is good at the things she’s good at because of who she deeply is and I’m incredibly lucky to have Suzi as a friend and consider her one of my two closest friends in the world, it doesn’t get better than that. So, thank you for everything that you’ve done, thank you for everything that you’ll do, thank you for being my friend, thank you for taking care of Skylar, and I look forward to seeing you sooner than later. I love you. Dani Bratton
“Suzi and I raise kids together and share life events as family. She has always been my beautiful, steadfast, accepting, loving, giving human on every level. I feel so fortunate to have met her almost 20 years ago and continue to feel grateful for the time we spent together. Can’t want to see what the next 20 years and beyond look like together as family, as memory keepers.” Lori Marshall
“Suzi is a dear friend and we have shared so many wonderful conversations, meals and much more over two decades.Suzi has always been a gentle and keen listener and has helped me tremendously in my personal and professional journey. I always look up to her and admire her willingness to offer unconditional support, and I appreciate her insightful approach to resolving issues without any judgement. Suzi deserves this recognition more than anyone else I know.” Padma Ayyagari
I might have the distinguished honor of being the person who’s known Suzi the longest on this call. One of. I’m among good company, for sure. I can certainly say I knew you when — before you became a coach, and when you became a coach. I remember when you became a coach and I remember it was right after the Forum. You decided you were going to be serious about it, and I remember you and your – you know the Rockville apartment and you said I’m going to do this. And I’m like, what’s coaching, right? it’s like 1993 you know . Suz, I know we haven’t – we’ve have had our parallel lives and we sort of intersect you know once in a while, and I’m going to cry. I just love you. I just love you. Wow. You know from first moment we met, you know there was that instant chemistry, that instant connection. You are a giver and you’re full of love and that’s evidenced by all of the incredible followers you have and friends and encouragers on this call. It’s such a beautiful thing to see you know? Suz, after all these years? Look at look. Look at this. Like look at this. Amazing. It’s amazing, and I just want to see you more thank you for inviting me here, you’re just a precious joy to the world and to me and I just thank you for who you are. Yeah love you. Shira Lotzar
I too will get a little a little weepy, because I’ve known. I’ve known about the empathy, about the caring for a very long time now, and it is such, I’m sorry, it’s so wonderful to hear all of you – you know I’ve heard about a lot of you, because we talk a lot and she’s got she has so many people in her life who she cares about, but you know I just have to say that that I knew that Suzi was great at what she did because I had the opportunity (I knew it anyway) but I had the opportunity once to actually sit in on a little bit of a coaching session and I watched her come up with thoughts and suggestions well thoughts and suggestions that I that nobody in the room had thought of and we were all looking at each other saying how does how does she do that? And so I asked her about it afterwards and I figured well you know it’s part of it’s the empathy and she said she said you know I just feel like I’m channeling something. Well I knew she had learned a lot. She had learned a lot from colleagues, she had learned in other ways, but I think part of part of what makes her this kind of special is we all know the warm fuzzy part that we love and that helps her understand people, but she also has the ability to step back and to look at a situation and understand an organism, whether it’s a person or it’s a business and figure out what it needs. What would help it function better? And to be able to connect and express that and I think that’s an amazing combination of factors. Yeah. And you know I love you. Also a wonderful mother and friend and relative and everything else. Love you, babe. Bethany Silberfarb
“My husband, myself, and a dear friend were all driving to a friend’s wedding at Lake Anna about 15 years ago. The entire trip, they were raving about a fellow coach, Suzi Pomerantz. And finally, I was going to get to meet her. I’m pretty sure I went up to her and said “so you are the great, amazing coach, Suzi. I have heard about you for years. I had a lovely time at the wedding and Suzi and I bonded nicely and decided to meet for coffee monthly, which we did for years. Not only was she a special treasured friend, but she always asked me about my business and then proceeded to give me brilliant ideas that always made an enormous positive difference. I definitely got to see why my husband and friend bragged about her all the time. I got on the Suzi, Coach extraordinaire bandwagon easily, in addition to my very special relationship as “friend”. Suzi, I just want to tell you how blown away I was. I mean, I always knew you were very terrific and I know people loved and admired you, but oh my God, oh my God! How touching, how moving, how inspiring, how amazing you are, just amazing! It was just it was an honor to be there, I wrote something in the comments because I didn’t know if I would speak and since I wrote something I decided not to speak, anyway it was just fantastic. Congratulations you were absolutely amazing. And you have a support system unlike anything I’ve ever seen. So, I hope your life just gets – I hope it just goes on an upward shot now, you know. So I love you and congratulations I am so so proud of you.” Bev Nerenberg
I’m hoping I can say a few words, Right, I raised my hand on this, but I think it’s a picnic, which means the problem is in the chair, not in the computer, so I apologize for that. But, Alex and I are Suzi’s aunt and uncle, and of course, you know, when, when we talk about, and everybody has said how long they’ve known her and how long since they’ve met her, we’ve known Suzi since she was a couple of days old, and have had the pleasure, honestly, of seeing, this adorable, wonderful baby grow into an inquisitive, loving, responsible, caring, and intelligent child, teenager, adult woman, mother, old lady, no, not old lady, we’re in our 70s, so you’re not anywhere close to an old lady, but the Suzi that we knew as a child and a teenager and a young adult, and has grown into a professional woman, her own company, driven, loving, really high emotional intelligence, and that everybody has seen in you what we’ve known and seen in you all along. But Suzi, my message, I guess, and our message, life is a journey, it’s not the destination, and we all go through different times of being up and being down and being up again, and it’s like hills and valleys in life. you’re so brilliant in so many ways, and you just need to hear the strength from everyone that has spoken, and some that have sent messages that have not necessarily spoken, and get that strength, because we all go through times when we doubt ourselves, but you are loved and known for who you are, know it and count on the people around you that have spoken to be there when you need to touch base, because you’re more brilliant than you know you are at all times. And congratulations, I agree with a couple of people that said it, it’s only when you go through life that you, you hear these things that they are the most important to you, because there are the things that count, because now you’re hearing from so many people that you’re not quite sure what they think of you, you think you know it, but to hear it and have it documented by voice or by letter means a lot. So congratulations. Love you. Ditto from me, she speaks for me, so I throw a few words in there. Lisa & Alex Spector
AI-written Themes and Summary:
Unleash Your Leadership Potential with Sustainable Leadership Coaching from Suzi Pomerantz
For senior executives seeking to drive sustainable, systemic change in their organizations, Suzi Pomerantz is a rare find – a leadership coach who seamlessly blends principled, people-centric values with a proven track record of impactful results.
Suzi’s recent recognition with the prestigious Gordon Lee Salmon Sustainable Leadership Award, presented by the Library of Professional Coaching, underscores the powerful impact she has on the leaders and teams she works with.
What sets Suzi apart is her ability to help executives develop the mindsets, behaviors, and capabilities required for 21st century leadership. Rather than focusing narrowly on tactical skills, she cultivates sustainable, values-driven approaches that lead to lasting transformation.
Key advantages of working with Suzi Pomerantz as your leadership coach:
Principled Inspiration – Suzi’s unwavering integrity, empathy, and passion inspires those around her to raise their own standards of leadership. She leads by powerful example.
Collaborative Empowerment – Suzi is praised for her generous, non-hierarchical approach, empowering executives to grow through shared learning and mutual support.
Catalytic Organizational Impact – Suzi’s work has a multiplier effect, positively influencing not just individual leaders but entire teams, departments, and enterprises.
Sustainable Mindset Growth – By blending technical expertise with deep personal insights, Suzi helps executives embed sustainable shifts into the core of how they lead.
For senior leaders seeking to future-proof their organizations, there are few coaches who can rival Suzi Pomerantz’s ability to unlock sustainable, purpose-driven leadership. Her pioneering approach is an invaluable asset in today’s volatile, complex business environment.
Invest in your leadership – and your legacy – by partnering with Suzi Pomerantz.