Susan Dupre, Principal Consultant
Susan Dupre has over twenty years of consulting experience guiding clients in industry, government, and non-profits through all aspects of cultural and systems change, including strategic visioning; planning and implementation; work redesign; organization development and culture change; change management on technology implementations; and team and leadership development.
The hallmark of Susan’s consulting approach is in engaging large numbers of stakeholders – the source of most innovation – in creating the organizations they want to work in, achieving progress on issues they care about, or planning the future they desire. She often works in contentious situations with diverse stakeholders who have been at odds with one another, assisting them in finding common ground and moving forward in more productive ways. Susan has extensive experience doing this work in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and is regarded as a leader in translating and relating organization development work to various organizational and cultural contexts
Prior to starting her consulting practice, Susan worked in the telecommunications industry. With an M.A. in Communications Studies and a B.A. in Speech Pathology from California State University Sacramento, she has contributed to two seminal books in the field of organization development and systems change — The Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems, 2007, and The Handbook of Large Group Methods: Creating Systemic Change in Organizations and Communities, 2006. Susan is the author of the article “The Future Search Conference as a Vehicle for Educational Change,” in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1992. She is the past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Arts Council of Placer County, a board member of the Visions of a Better World Foundation, and a member of SearchNet, an international network of Future Search practitioners.
Why do you do this work? In my early 20’s, I was a VISTA volunteer working in community development, which ignited a passion in me about giving people a voice and an opportunity to be self determining. This passion transformed into a profession where, essentially, I get to do the same thing – help people create organizational environments full of energy, safety, creativity, and hope, where the best in people and systems can emerge and move forward in new and more productive ways.
What do you love to do when you’re not working? Being with family and friends – exploring natural landscapes — traveling to interesting places in the world with even more interesting people and cultures – supporting the arts, agriculture, and the environment in my community — and curling up with a good book at the end of the day!
