Community Volunteer, former Science Educator, Tech hobbyist.
Term: #1 2012-2014, #2 2015-2017
Sue joined the board as liaison to Lakes Advisory Board in 2004. Her contributions include communications, planning, learning, serving as Secretary, and chairing the Education Task Force and VP-Program/Place. She and her husband, Steve, are charter members. Sue Foreman is a connector. She connects people, organizations, causes — and especially innovative ideas. Over her lifetime she has joined with others to create visions and make them come true – through creativity, teamwork and grit. She connects people and concepts in ways that solve sticky complex problems – or sometimes just have some fun. Using her experience as a science educator, futurist, civic leader, philanthropist, fundraiser, Imago educator, and knowledge worker, she has helped move projects forward in many fields: education, family support, addiction recovery, faith, conservation, sustainability, peace, justice — and creating opportunity for talented people in our community.
Sue tells stories that enhance systems thinking and inspire effective action. Her humor and enthusiasm make working with her unexpectedly entertaining. Whether it is policy or organizational structure, the environment, human needs, technology, or new ways of designing solutions, Sue is passionate about learning, service, and being an agent for change for the good. Some of the work is serious but her best days start when she wakes up laughing.
A mountain man named Clint taught her one of her favorite axioms: “Ain’t none of us as smart as all of us.” On a more technical level, she has seen this idea work, over and over, when facilitating groups with methods that release and capture group genius – processes she first learned from MGTaylor in the mid 1990s. Now she celebrates Valencia and Mead Botanical Garden making leaps forward by harnessing the wisdom of the full team. To continue to inform this work, her reading list is rich in biographies, faith, history, science, neurobiology of learning, dialogue, philosophy and technology – mental models and systems thinking.
Sue has received the Women’s Resource Center’s Summit Award; twice received the AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) annual Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser award; and was listed as one of the Winter Park Influentials by Winter Park Magazine. Previously, mostly for her work with the Parent Resource Center, she received the JC Penny Golden Rule Award; Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce Community Recognition Award; and the National Volunteer Activist Award. She has applied her penchant for technology with website work and photography for the League of Women Voters, recovery retreats, reunions, and whenever she shows up with the biggest camera.
Sue is a Gator with a BS in biology and chemistry education, is past chair of the Valencia College Foundation, past chair of 4C and later the 4C Foundation, member of Valencia’s Peace and Justice Institute board, founding member of the original Science Center Guild, the board of Came to Believe Recovery, and founding member of the Winter Park Land Trust. She and Steve have been married 56 years, have two children, Karen and Doug, and five really grand grandchildren.
