Vice President of Strategic Philanthropy
Suzy Pukys began her nonprofit career in Georgetown in 2002 at The Georgetown Project, a child and youth advocacy organization, where she served as a grant writer and manager of the Community Interaction Partnership program, a community-based learning collaboration between The Georgetown Project and Southwestern University. In 2004, she became Southwestern University’s first Director of Civic Engagement. Through this position, Suzy facilitated experiential learning opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and skills to address social and public issues at local, regional, and national levels.
Suzy came to Georgetown Health Foundation (GHF) as its first Director of Community Resources in 2012, focused on defining and expanding the organization’s philanthropic programs. She opened the Foundation’s formerly-closed annual grants process in 2013, and has subsequently led GHF to grow its grants portfolio to include public-private partnerships with local government entities, strategic multi-year and general operating grants, and capacity building funding designed to strengthen key organizations that are critical to this community’s health & human service system. Suzy worked with GHF’s board and staff to grow GHF’s grantmaking from 8 community grants totaling approximately $250,000 in 2012 to 28 grants totaling over $1.6 million in 2019. Through strategies informed by research partnerships, she has guided GHF to work toward improving the quality of life for Georgetown residents by addressing social determinants of health.
Suzy has also served as a leader on several government and nonprofit boards centering on poverty, housing, public transportation, mental health, education, domestic violence, and youth. Prior to moving to Georgetown, she worked in the private sector as a writer and graphic designer in the health care and educational publishing industries. Suzy holds an MA in English from the University of Delaware and a BA in English and History from Hiram College.