Jul 29, 2023
In this episode, I interview Susan Millender, who shares with us information about a rare brain malformation (primarily diagnosed during pregnancy and sometimes diagnosed after birth). She wants us to know that her organization Families for HoPE is the only organization whose mission it is to support the entire family impacted by this disease. She works, along with a dedicated Board of Directors and with volunteers to meet the direct service needs of the Holoprosencephaly community. Susan has always had an interest in community service and working in environments that have a strong mission to help ameliorate anxiety and isolation.
Susan is currently the Executive Director of Families for HoPE, Inc., an Indianapolis based nonprofit serving children diagnosed with Holoprosencephaly and related rare brain malformations. She is the first person to fill the role in the organization’s 17-year history.
Susan was born in East Chicago, IN and grew up in nearby Gary. She attended Ball State University and graduated from Calumet College, Whiting, IN, with a BA in Mass Communications.
Susan has worked as a health advocate in nonprofit settings in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years, specifically among children and families struggling to gain and maintain well-being and resilience. She is a member of the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. Previously,she led Seattle-King County Washington’s Guided Pathways nonprofit family support organization as Executive Director. She has served as Program Director for the American Diabetes Association of Washington and Northern Idaho, and directed marketing communications programs for Seattle Counseling Services, Sound Generations of Seattle-King County, and Seattle’s Bloodworks.
She counts travel and reading among the leisure-time activities she most enjoys.
Susan can be reached directly through info@familesforhope.org