October Sustainer Spotlight

It is a pleasure to introduce Susan Doyle, our October Sustainer Spotlight.

Susie has been a Sustainer for many years, including one as Sustainer Chair. In her five active years in Junior League of Lancaster, Susie’s placements included Communications, Voluntarism, Long Range Planning, TAPP (Teenage Pregnancy and Prevention Project), Training, and the Demuth House, which as her first project, also ranks as her favorite. “From my participation as a docent and League project education chair, I learned about this important American modernist artist and Lancaster native son. My League involvement led to becoming a Demuth Foundation board member and eventually board president.”

When asked about her favorite fundraiser, she says,” everything is a learning experience—including the Thrift Corner!”

Susie recalls the following when asked how Junior League has improved who she is, “At one time, I served as Long Range Planning Chair. Looking back in the records that I was given when I moved to Sustaining status (yes, I still have them), I noted that it was ‘a tedious job, but I enjoyed the committee.’ Regardless of how I felt then, that experience has been extremely valuable to me in other volunteer roles, as well as in my professional life. In general, my life has been enriched by belonging to an organization with the important mission of learning while serving others.”

She offers this suggestion about establishing credibility quickly with a team, “learn everyone's name and offer to take the minutes.”

Susie was born and raised in Lebanon County, and received a B.S. from Juniata College. She is Director of Marketing at Homestead Village and serves as a Board member of the Marketing and Public Relations Society of Senior Housing and Services Professionals.

She and husband Jim have three daughters: Polly Moriaty married to Fritz; Katie Myers married to Bryan; Elizabeth Albright married to Rick; five grandchildren: Finn (6), Annabel (4), Ellie (3), Grace (2), and Hanna (1); and one “old and cranky” cat, Mungo. With two daughters living in Colorado, and one in Lancaster, if she could be anywhere in the world, it would be anywhere the entire family could be together. ”On the other hand,” she adds, “I do love Paris.”

Susie lists her daughters as her proudest accomplishments, along with the growth and development she has been a part of during her 20-year career at Homestead Village; and being the first woman elected as a Trustee in the 281-year history of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, where she is also a vestry and choir member.

What does this committed, thoughtful woman like to do in her free time? “Watch movies. I never watch TV, but I love the movies.” She is also an avid reader; she recently completed David McCullough's The Greater Journey, and is now finishing The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, the first of Edmund Morris's three-volume biography. She also notes that “Born to Run was interesting—I read it so I could relate to the rest of my family!”