[Ohio-Talk] EXT: Our vice president makes it in The Braille Monitor

[Andra Stover]

This is so great! Congratulations SUZANNE. You are such a great leader and
I look up to you.

On Tue, May 4, 2021 at 6:08 PM Richard Payne via Ohio-Talk <
ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Suzanne Turner:
>
> Suzanne Turner came to the Federation in the 1980s. She was elected as
> president of the Cleveland Chapter at her first meeting. She stepped down
> after one year. It was difficult for her to lead effectively because she
> did
> not know much about our organization. After retiring from her job in 2010,
> she went to a state convention. "Barbara Pierce and Richard Payne sparked
> fire in me. I rejoined, and I have been running ever since."
>
> Suzanne's attendance at one of the national leadership seminars helped her
> to understand where she wanted to be in the organization and the work she
> wanted to do. The books, "Building the Lives We Want" and Walking Alone and
> Marching Together" changed her life. She recalled that the chapter "A
> Passion for Humanity" about Isabelle Grant resonated with her.
> Subsequently,
> she became the president of the Cleveland Chapter and took on roles at the
> affiliate level. When the first vice president of the affiliate left to
> take
> a job in California, Suzanne stepped into that position. She was elected to
> the position of first vice president in 2020.
>
> Suzanne believes that her honesty, consistency, transparency, and
> professional brand are the attributes that have made her a successful
> leader. Telling her story shows her honesty and demonstrates her shared
> experiences with others. It's her personal brand that she tries to convey
> to
> community partners, members, and potential members.
>
> Suzanne believes that the key to resolving resistance to leadership is
> negotiation. She has an open-door policy in her chapter that encourages
> members to talk to her directly. She works to understand the perspective of
> the person. She examines herself to make sure she is not the source of the
> conflict. If she is not the problem, she will work with the member to try
> to
> move forward.
>
> Suzanne does not feel any burnout yet, "though I probably should." She is
> just happy to be involved doing the work of the Federation. She explained
> that she reaches out to people by phone and is constantly on her computer
> emailing and checking Facebook. Her goal is to build trust with people so
> she can influence and delegate. Suzanne loves problem-solving and seeing
> people flourish.
>
>
>
>
>
> Richard Payne,  President
>
> National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
>
> 937/829/3368
>
>  <mailto:Rchpay7 at gmail.com> Rchpay7 at gmail.com
>
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
> between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
> blindness is not what holds you back.
>
>
>
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