Suzanne co-founded The Yellow Tulip Project with her daughter Julia in 2016. She currently serves as the Director of Global Initiatives, on the YTP Board of Directors and as an advisor to YTP’s special projects including the I Am More:Facing Stigma and Young Men Moving Mountains exhibits, Storytelling Alchemy and other community partnerships. She is an out of the box thinker and a creator who loves working on projects that make a positive impact on this messy but beautiful world. She served as YTP’s Executive Director from its creation until June 2023. Prior to her work as a mental health activist, Suzanne has over 30 years of experience in building understanding and cross-cultural awareness as an adjunct professor, principal of an intercultural consulting company and a facilitator. She has a B.A. in Asian Studies from Bowdoin College, an MA in Chinese Politics from the School of Oriental & African Studies in London and will be pursuing a masters in Global Mental Health from the University of Edinburgh this fall. She looks forward to combining her background and experiences in cross-cultural understanding with mental health activism. There she will be exploring stigma across cultures and working globally to expand YTP’s youth driven, community focused message of hope and stigma reduction. She loves sharing her story and the story of YTP and believes in the simple and compelling message of YTP and wants to spread it both nationally and internationally since mental illness impacts one in five people worldwide. She is the recipient of The New England Patriots Foundation Myra Kraft Community Volunteer Award, United Way of Southern Maine Individual Advocate Award and the Maine Biz NEXT Award recognized as one of seven individuals who are changing Maine’s economy and making a significant impact in their industry.
You can reach Suzanne at: suzanne@theyellowtulipproject.org