Susan Schultz founded Creative Counsel in 2002. Serving as project manager, fundraiser, and advocate for Ohio nonprofit organizations for over 15 years, Susan has grown Creative Counsel from a robust part-time practice to a boutique firm.
Current clients, recruited through Susan’s extensive network of collaborators and contacts, include fine artists, architects, photographers, graphic designers, technical writers, non-profit organizations, and families from all walks of life.
Over the last five years, she helped Mill Creek Restoration Project triple its budget and programs, and honed her management and negotiating skills during years as marketing director, fundraiser and project manager for the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History.
She has served in an advisory capacity for galleries in the Cincinnati area, for the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Contemporary Arts Center, the CCM Alumni Association, Greater Cincinnati Community Shares, Woman’s City Club, Gorman Heritage Farm, and the Ohio League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. She assisted project teams for the OKI’s Regional Bike Plan, the I-75 Corridor Study, SORTA’s “Metro Moves” project, the Environmental Policy Center at the University of Cincinnati, and Ohio EPA.
She began her professional career teaching art and music to elementary and middle school students participating in inner-city youth programs. She is the co-author of a children’s book about the environment, “True Stories of Life on Earth.”
A graduate of the Environmental Leadership Institute, she received her law degree from Chase College of Law, and her master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati. She received her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Evansville. Named to “Who’s Who in American Law Students” in 1998, she completed internships in both the federal district court (S.D. Ohio) and the Ohio Court of Appeals (1st District).
She has raised over $4 million in funding for nonprofit organizations in Ohio since 1999, including women’s groups, arts organizations, environmental causes, and political groups. She has been a strong voice for open space advocacy efforts in southwest Ohio, testifying before city councils and organizing grassroots support for children’s issues, environmental conservation, and the arts.