We’re excited to welcome Leah Susi to PENCIL as our new Chief Philanthropy Officer!

Leah brings more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, communications and nonprofit leadership—and, perhaps most importantly, a career-long commitment to organizations that serve young people. Before joining PENCIL, Leah served as Chief Advancement Officer at Communities In Schools of Tennessee, where she helped grow annual philanthropic support from $1.7 million to $4.6 million and expanded the organization’s individual donor base by 400%. She previously held development and communications roles at Monroe Harding.

For Leah, the connection to PENCIL’s mission is personal.

“My entire 20+ year career has been working with youth-serving organizations,” she says. “I am a product of the mentors and guidance I received as a kid and love being a part of an organization that invests in young people.”

She was also drawn to PENCIL’s belief that supporting students is a community-wide effort.

“I love the mission of PENCIL and that it’s everyone’s role to support students in our community,” Leah says. “PENCIL has a great reputation, a supportive board, and is making an impact in our schools.”

And she’s already discovering just how deep those community connections run. One of the things that has surprised her most so far is the sheer number of businesses investing in MNPS students: more than 600 PENCIL Partners are working alongside our schools.

Outside of PENCIL, Leah is usually on the go with her two daughters, whether driving them to activities or teaching her 15-year-old to drive. She also loves to read and is a regular at her monthly Nashville book club.

Please join us in welcoming Leah to the PENCIL team. We’re so glad she’s here!