Susan S. Elliott

Susan S. Elliott (www.SusanSElliott.com) went to work for IBM as a programmer in 1958 after graduating from Smith College. Her book, Across the Divide: Navigating the Digital Revolution as a Woman, Entrepreneur and CEO, captures the story of a woman pioneer in the man's world of technology from the time of data processing (DP) to information technology (IT). After being forced to leave IBM because she was pregnant, she formed Systems Service Enterprises, Inc. (SSE) in 1966 and continued consulting. She refocused her business in 1983 with one of the original IBM PCs, undeterred by others' admonitions that PCs would never provide a solid business base. Elliott grew SSE into a national enterprise recognized globally for its work in application development, education and network infrastructure, and accomplished the unusual transition of President and CEO from mother to daughter. Now Chairman of SSE, Elliott has served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She is on the board of the St. Louis Science Center, and has served on the boards of Ameren, Angelica, Webster University, Regional Business Council (RBC), St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA), the St. Louis Zoological Foundation and the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), which she led as President. Elliott's book shares how she conceived and managed her business in a field with exponential change and international competition, offering insights into how a small start-up can and must grow. She shares lessons learned, business strategies and a few of the leading-edge solutions that fueled SSE's success. She is married to Howard Elliott, Jr., a retired executive of Laclede Gas Co., with whom she has two daughters, Kathryn Elliott Love, Partner in the international law firm of Bryan Cave LLP, Elizabeth Elliott Niedringhaus, SSE President and CEO, and five grandchildren.