Suzanne Hawkes is an equity-centered management consultant, leadership trainer and facilitator. She has supported senior leadership teams with clients across the US and Canada for over 20 years. Her vision: a diverse cross-sectoral network of collaborative, service-oriented leaders working across difference to leverage shared power and 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. Suzanne is also the sole Canadian trainer with the Rockwood Leadership Institute, which supports equity-centered leadership training for community and civic leaders from around the world. She is also an associate of InPartnership Consulting, based in Oakland, California, with a focus on organizational effectiveness, racial equity and inclusion.
Suzanne supports clients from a range of sectors, including academia, health care, government, business, sustainability, social justice, and the arts. Her past and current clients include The Government of British Columbia, Taku River Tlingit Nation, Indigenous Leadership Initiative, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Simon Fraser University, University of B.C., the Rennie Group, the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Yukon Energy Corporation, Vancouver Coastal Health, Change.org, 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 engagement and governance. Clients include the Town of Smithers; the City of Surrey, Vision Vancouver, and the former Washington, DC-based Center for Progressive Leadership.
Suzanne is a certified Integral Facilitator, and also certified to lead the Interpersonal Leadership Styles inventory, the Intercultural Development Inventory, and the Diamond Power Index Leadership Assessment, all tools aimed at helping leaders collaborate effectively across difference. 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-led resource management. 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 and Anima Leadership’s year-long intensive in Deep Democracy: Micro-skills of Leadership, Collaboration and Facilitating Collective Change.
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 hundreds of 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 her multi-generational, blended family on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú 7mesh (Squamish), and Səl ̓ ı́ lwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, also known as Vancouver, Canada.
Suzanne is a proud member of Unifor’s Freelance Union.
She can be contacted at: hawkes [at] convergecom.ca
Suzanne Hawkes 
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
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!
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
Suzanne,
Thanks for these well considered tips. Very useful in the midst of public health emergencies, and beyond. You summarize them v. well.
Jim
Thank you so much Jim!