Education & Certifications

  • Ph.D. Scholar – Management of Complex Systems, University of California

  • M.A. in Communication – Focus on business development and client-centric communication, Hawaii Pacific University

  • B.A. in Political Science & Journalism (Minor: Marketing), Louisiana State University

  • Executive Certificate – Leverage Diversity and Inclusion for Organizational Excellence, Stanford University

  • Executive Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship – Cornell University

Key Areas of Expertise

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) – Advises companies on systemic policy changes focusing on pay equity, pipeline development, inclusive hiring, and leadership accountability.

  • Complex Systems & Organizational Behavior – Applies systems thinking to business strategy and public policy, ensuring long-term sustainability and impact.

  • Strategic Storytelling & Public Speaking – Uses narrative-driven communication to advocate for change, increase stakeholder engagement, and inspire leadership action.

  • Corporate & Public Sector Leadership – Expertise in navigating government relations, regulatory affairs, and policy development.

  • Military & Veteran Advocacy – As a Navy wife and mother, she actively supports women veterans, military families, and gender equity in the armed forces.

Susan Freeman, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. Scholar
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, 2019–2024

 

Biography

I founded Conscious Inclusion Company in 2019 and led it through December 2024. CIC was a woman-owned consulting practice helping organizations strengthen inclusive leadership and workplace culture. My work focused on employee voice, belonging, bias mitigation, stakeholder trust, leadership accountability, and practical culture change.

In 2021, I established CIC’s strategic alliance with Honolulu public relations firm CommPac, working with CEO Kitty Yannone on joint client proposals and DEI service offerings. I created a prospect needs-assessment framework and helped shape materials on workplace culture, employee communication and inclusive leadership. The collaboration brought together CIC’s organizational expertise and CommPac’s public relations experience to develop offerings informed by clients’ needs.

Across corporate, legal, healthcare, education, civic, and mission-driven settings, I designed research-informed workshops, assessments, facilitation, and advisory engagements that connected qualitative insight, employee feedback, and organizational evidence to leadership action. I developed an AI- and natural-language-processing-supported framework to help surface patterns in culture and employee experience. The framework was designed to support human leaders’ decisions, not replace their judgment.

My approach drew on more than 30 years across communications, business development, learning, and organizational leadership. I created Munger U, an in-house attorney-development program at Munger, Tolles & Olson, and led client development, executive communication, and learning initiatives across financial services, technology, law, energy, healthcare, education, and civic work. I’ve educated more than 5,000 professionals through keynotes, workshops, executive education, teaching, and leadership programs.

At PG&E, I served as Principal, Change Management and Internal Communications, supporting Distribution Operations leadership through employee engagement and feedback governance, organizational change management, and internal communications. I personally authored crisis communications plans for East-West Center and Hawaii Gas. At the 2019 PRSA International Conference in San Diego, I presented “Understanding Gender-Based Communication to Combat Bias.”

I hold an M.A. in Communication from Hawai‘i Pacific University and B.A. degrees in Political Science and Journalism from Louisiana State University, with a minor in Marketing. I’m now a doctoral scholar in Management of Complex Systems at UC Merced, studying how organizational conditions, employee experience, trust, and service quality shape student success. Based in Walnut Creek, California, I continue to explore how clear communication, careful listening, evidence, and accountability can help people and institutions work more effectively.