Susan Zimmerman ’73: From Wall Street to advocacy

Susan Zimmerman ’73 knew she would return to work after her daughter was born, until her daughter was actually born and she knew she needed to spend her time advocating for her daughter’s needs. 

I think of my life in segments. The direction I expected my career to take when I graduated from Cornell with a degree in Russian and political science immediately changed after I earned my MBA degree from Columbia Business School. The Wall Street financial career that followed was my first segment. I worked for several commercial and investment banking firms in jobs as varied as a team developing a risk management system for commercial banks to a team rating the bonds of major American corporations. I also advised a fund manager on phoenix companies and worked with investment bankers to bring debt to market. The work relied on my knowledge of finance, but it also required the same kind of factual knowledge I needed in college. One day I might need to know how cement was made and the next what goes into making a silicon chip. The key to success was to ask the right questions to get company managers to disclose the strengths and weaknesses of their businesses. 

Then, I left the financial world when my daughter was born with developmental disabilities and needed me full time. While I had always thought that I would stay at work after my children were born, I found that the need to ask the right questions to get resources like a good IEP (individualized education program) for my daughter was taking all my time. What began as advocacy to get the resources she needed grew in time to a new career as an advocate for children with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. In my new work I created a network to support families whose children had disabilities and lobbied for laws to benefit these families and these children. My political science degree gave me the skills I needed to work with state agencies and state legislators on systems change initiatives. There has been nothing more exciting in my life than being in the Connecticut legislative office building with hundreds of families who were letting their legislators know what they needed.

When I had a bout with breast cancer, a third segment took root in community service. This brought together my advocacy and financial skill sets, while giving me the time to pursue a new interest in hiking and renew my interest in travel. I was elected to the local school board where I led the policy subcommittee to see the implementation of the laws I had been working to enact. I served three terms on my local food cooperative and successfully transitioned to a policy governance model. I was appointed to the regional mental health board to continue legislative advocacy work.

Recently widowed shortly after moving to a new home, I find myself starting my fourth segment. Too soon to report on this.