Suzanne Hawkes is a management consultant, leadership trainer and facilitator. She has supported organizational planning and change initiatives across the US and Canada for over 20 years. Her vision: a diverse cross-sectoral network of powerful, collaborative, service-oriented leaders working across difference to achieve transformational change.
She is a principal with Convergence Strategies, based in Vancouver, Canada. Suzanne is also a co-designer and instructor for Simon Fraser University’s Certificate Program in Executive Leadership and a Dialogue Associate with SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. She is also the sole Canadian trainer with the Rockwood Leadership Institute, home of the USA’s largest multi-day transformational leadership training program for social change leaders. There, she co-facilitates leadership training fellowships focused on Racial Justice and Human Rights, LGBTQ advocacy, Pittsburgh Lead Now, Techquity, the SEIU and Arts and Culture. She is also an associate of InPartnership Consulting, based in Oakland, California, with a focus on organizational effectiveness, equity and inclusion.
Suzanne supports clients from a range of sectors, including academia, health care, government, business, sustainability, equity and inclusion, and the arts. Her clients include Simon Fraser University, University of B.C., the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Yukon Energy, Vancouver Coastal Health, Change.org, the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, the David Suzuki Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation, W.K. Kellog Foundation, Tides Foundation, Advancement Project and the Nature Conservancy. Suzanne’s work also focuses on civic and political engagement. Clients include the Town of Smithers; the City of Surrey, Vision Vancouver, and the former the Washington, DC-based Center for Progressive Leadership.
Suzanne has an Honour’s Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, and a Master’s degree in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University; both focused on Indigenous and community-led resource conservation. She has studied for several years with master Facilitator and leadership trainer Robert Gass (Social Transformation Project), and is an alumni with the Art of Transformational Consulting and Dr. Julie Diamond’s year-long intensive in Deep Democracy: Micro-skills of Leadership, Collaboration and Facilitating Collective Change. She is currently studying Integral Facilitation with Diane Hamilton (10 Directions – Integral Facilitation). Suzanne is certified to lead the Interpersonal Leadership Styles survey, and the Diamond Power Index Leadership Assessment.
Before joining Convergence, Suzanne was a co-founder of IMPACS Communications Centre, the first non-profit communications training and services centre in Canada. There, she trained emerging communication leaders across Canada and overseas, and led several re-branding initiatives with national organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and EcoJustice.
She sits on the Board of Animals of Distinction, a Montreal-based contemporary dance company, loves running – slowly – and is wildly enthusiastic about martial arts movies and science fiction. She lives with multi-generational, blended family in Vancouver, Canada.
Suzanne is a member of Unifor’s Freelance Union.
She can be contacted at: hawkes [at] convergecom.ca
Hi Suzanne – its a lovely day here in Calgary. I am doing some reserach on sustainability and communications and I thought of you. I saw you speak at a Capacity Building workshop put on by Ecotrust and Volunteer Calgary in March, at which time I worked for an NGO in Calgary for 9 year focusing on marketing environmental education. I am now the newest member of the City of Calgary’s Ecological Footprint Team, charged with creating communications plans that catalyze behaviour changes in Calgarians that will reduce Calgary’s Ecological Footprint.
Your presentation resinated with me, especially in the terms of making the link from education to behaviour change. I am tasked to begin communicaitons around ecological footprint in Calgary and I would like to know what resources are out there for building a communications plan that fosters empowering the community. I have seen the “59 Smart Orgs” and wondering if there are otehr road maps to follow for communicaitons around sustainability?
Sue Hayduk
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Suzanne,
I love your website and your blog posts are fantastic. What a great service you are offering particularly for individuals and groups working for social change.
Congratulations for continuing to be such a strong leader in helping us all become more effective leaders!
Shauna
Really enjoy reading your posts, Suzanne! Great tips and suggestions.
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article seem to be running off
the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I figured I’d post
to let you know. The design look great though!
Hope you get the problem resolved soon. Many thanks
Weird – thanks for letting me know!
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Suzanne – I recently began working with a local university WMST group and they would like to revisit their Mission Statement. I would like to discuss possible opportunities for a training session with you or a member of your team. Can you please contact me directly to discuss further. Thank you.
Marcia
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