Our Staff Leadership
Susan Berman
Chief Executive Officer
Fresh Start Women's Foundation
Susan Berman is the new President and Chief Operating Officer of Fresh Start Women’s Foundation and began her new duties on September 12, 2011. Susan graduated from ASU with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Masters degree in Counseling. Susan pursued her college education while raising her three children as a single parent. She has over 20 years experience in social services programs, management, and program design and development. Susan is a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the National Career Counseling association (NECA) and is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) through the American Counseling Association.
Up until her joining the Fresh Start family, Susan was the Director of Programs at Childhelp, a National non-profit that is into its 53rd year of operation. Her role was to make significant contributions to six varied and multi-faceted programs and create and implement significant staff development by increasing quality, effectiveness, and program outcomes across the board. One major program Susan had oversight and direct operational duties were the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline.
Prior to 2007, Susan ran the Workforce Development Program throughout Maricopa County for 10+ years operating a staff of over 70 professionals and providing job readiness, career development, and job placement services to citizens of the entire County. Susan wrote and published case management and case note curriculum that was adopted by Rutgers’s University, John J Heldrich Center on Workforce Development.
Previously, Susan operated a private counseling practice that focused primarily on women and familial issues. Susan’s focus is to assist individuals to learn to have a positive and nurturing relationship with self in order to affect parenting and other significant relationships. Her goal is to help her clients identify ways to cope and grow, and to find empowerment and confidence. She believes that we all have the right to become the very best we can – and that we often need a helping hand to get there.
Brandy Shade
Self Esteem Manager
Jamie Starner
Career and Program Services Manager
Katie Stringham
Marketing & PR