Welcome Michele Suchovsky!
The Paws With A Cause® Board of Directors has announced that after a national search, the PAWS® Board has selected Michele Suchovsky to serve as the new Chief Executive Officer of Paws With A Cause. Michele will officially join PAWS on Monday, November 12. She succeeds Mike and Candye Sapp who served as co-founders of PAWS and Jane Timmer who very graciously and ably has served as Interim CEO during the past several months.
Michele believes that all people should have the right and opportunity to live independent, full lives and that PAWS is a critical resource for helping people to find and maintain independence. She is excited to join us in this important work.
“I am honored and grateful to the board for this opportunity to lead Paws With A Cause to its next level of growth and impact. The visionary leadership of Mike and Candye and their exceptional team of dedicated and talented staff set an incredible level of excellence and have enhanced the independence and quality of life for thousands of people with disabilities and their families across the country. I am thrilled to join this extraordinary team and to build upon the PAWS tradition of innovation and transformational change in the field of custom-trained Assistance Dog Teams.”—Michele Suchovsky
An experienced nonprofit leader, Michele has served for 15 years as executive director of two nonprofit organizations, the first an arts and disability organization and the second an education organization. In these roles, she helped to grow both organizations into thriving nonprofit agencies impacting the lives of children and adults throughout West Michigan. She most recently served as Executive Director of the Grand Rapids Student Advancement Foundation (GRSAF), a strategic fundraising partner of the Grand Rapids Public Schools that advances education opportunities for all students in the district.
Prior to her career in nonprofit management, Michele served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable George R. Corsiglia in Allegan County and as an Associate Attorney at Straub, Seaman & Allen. Michele received a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School and a B.A. from The University of Michigan. In March of this year, Michele was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan by the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
Michele’s career has been focused on making a difference in the lives of others, and we are confident that her leadership, vision and experience will strengthen our mission and ability to enhance the independence and quality of life for the individuals and families we serve.