Born in Detroit, Sue Borrego grew up downriver from the city in a working-class family of auto and steel workers, bar tenders, and grocery store clerks, and became an emancipated minor at age 16. No stranger to hard work, she took on her first job in elementary school, shining shoes, and worked her way through high school by shoveling snow and delivering newspapers — often in the freezing cold Michigan dawn. No one in Sue’s family had attended college, and she assumed that high school would be the end of her educational journey as well.

Thanks to the support, encouragement, and guidance of the community of teachers and friends surrounding her, Sue ended up at college in Idaho. She boarded a plane for Idaho carrying a single Army duffel bag that held everything she owned.

As a low-income student with no college experience to call on (and no home address to put on her registration form), Sue didn’t have an easy transition to campus life and was unaware of the resources and opportunities available to her. Even after graduating from college, Sue never really moved away from the feeling of “outsider,” even as she pursued and completed her doctorate in Education.

During the course of her career as an administrator, leader, speaker, and consultant, Sue has never forgotten her struggle to find a sense of belonging and recognition of her own value. Her experience is shared by many who overcome significant barriers to follow their dreams and fulfill their potential. 

An outspoken champion for creating communities of belonging, Sue understands that access to opportunities opens doors that might otherwise stay closed. She also understands that these doors do not open on their own; it takes a community to make sure people have the resources and support they need to find their path and succeed in their journey.

Organizations must move beyond “helping” individuals, to empowering them. In her work as a speaker and consultant, Sue encourages organizations to build on the talents, experiences, and resilience people bring with them, and to value their voices. She helps shift the focus away from what individuals lack, to what they offer. 

In her work collaborating and consulting with leaders and teams, Sue combines her unique perspective to create inclusive cultures that empower people the thrive. She helps individuals and organizations understand and tap into their own power to transform the lives of employees, customers, and entire communities, through innovative, bold leadership that opens rather than closes doors. She has been described by colleagues, peers and clients as an innovative and considerate thought-leader adept at helping build diverse teams while working through difficult and complex issues.

In her free time, Sue enjoys her favorite activities, including reading, water activities, boating, fishing, bird watching, and cheering for her favorite college teams. She shares these activities with her beautiful family that includes two adult children, nine grandchildren, and her partner of 30 years, Mary Boyce. And she is most proud of the good humans her children are!