Susan helps oversee the welfare and feeding of Palo Alto’s movie star donkey, Perry, and his pal Jenny. Perry was the model for Donkey — voiced by Eddie Murphy — in the animated Shrek films.

Susan Carsen leads a group of associates serving clients in the western states region. With more than thirty years of fundraising and public relations experience, she provides counsel in all areas of advancement, serving clients in health care, culture and the arts, education and human services. Susan got her start in the field at Stanford University in the Office of Medical Development. She left Stanford to join the start-up staff of what is now the Tech Museum of Innovation, before going on to help open the San Francisco office of a national nonprofit management and fundraising consulting firm. Later, she became Vice President for Development and Public Relations for Peninsula Community Foundation. Susan returned to consulting in the nonprofit sector, first managing the San Francisco office of a regional firm, and eventually opening her own firm in 2005. In addition, Susan managed a support foundation for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCSF, and helped with the start-up of a small family foundation focused on supporting low-income community organizing efforts. 

Community Service:
Susan’s involvement in the nonprofit sector included a term on the Board of Directors of the Golden Gate Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and she is a founding member of AFP’s Peninsula Consultants group. As a member of Women in Consulting, she served on the Leaders’ Network. More recently, Susan volunteered on the Leadership Council when Music at Kohl Mansion brought the internationally acclaimed Violins of Hope to the San Francisco Bay Area for two months in early 2020. She currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Horse Park at Woodside and as a founding board member of Sage Compassion for Animals Foundation.      

Susan is a graduate of the University of California, Davis.