Meet Our Board President, Susan Mudd Vogel

"SIGNS OF THE TIME"

Susan Mudd Vogel

Executive Director, Civista Health Foundation

President, Leadership Southern Maryland

Board of Directors

I just moved offices for the third time in my job as Executive Director of the Civista Health Foundation. Now I am closer to the hospital (with a great view of our entrance), and the move gave me the chance to once again get organized with taking only the things I needed and tossing/shredding the rest. Exhilarating!

Now, beside the pictures of my family and a few other accessories, there are two expressions that grace my freshly painted wall.

The first is a small ceramic sign that says "Life is like a bunch of raisins – raisin' children, raisin' heck and raisin' money!" I can't even remember where I bought it but it spoke to me (so of course I had to have it.) Balancing work and family has been something I've just 'done' for almost 20 years – the delicate dance between laptops and lunch-making, strategy sessions and sporting events, and meetings and milestones. I am blessed with a supportive husband and two amazing children who help keep the see-saw balanced for me and grateful for a rewarding career in a community where I was raised.

People tell me all the time, “I don’t know how you do it all,” and I smile, thinking they don’t quite understand. I’ve decided that I don’t do things in spite of the fact that my husband and I have two children. We do things because we have them. I work and volunteer and visit the beach as often as I can. I try to be a good daughter and sister and do all the other things I’ve done (and all of the things I want to do) because I want to be the kind of parent that my son and daughter wants to be when they grow up. I want them to respect me and look up to me and basically just think that I am really, really cool. I want to be their biggest role model and I want them to be proud of me.

Hopefully, my plan will work out!

The second expression in my office reads "Donors don't give to institutions. They invest in ideas and people in whom they believe." I came across this phrase and it seemed to align to my work as a fundraiser and the organizations I serve in my community.

Come to think of it, this same quote could easily be on the wall in the Leadership Southern Maryland office. After all, LSM got its start by a few people and an idea! As LSM has grown, the continued focus on people and ideas is what makes us strong and reputable. For me, LSM continues to be a great source of pride personally and professionally, and I hope you share the same sentiment.

What are you raisin' today?