SBP

Meet Susan Bender Phelps

  • Do every one of your people show up for work ready to make a positive contribution?
  • Are your conference attendees struggling with office politics, work-life balance, or communication?
  • Are you and your team ready to make that high-stakes presentation?

If you want engaging and inspiring programs and workshops call Susan Bender Phelps. Your people will get practical strategies they can begin using right away. Susan is one of the very few speakers who also coaches speakers and presenters. That’s why working with Susan is the investment that will propel your people and your business.

How great would it be to have employees who are motivated and productive? Imagine meeting your goals because your staff willingly uses every opportunity to lead, grow, develop, and cause breakthroughs. Susan’s programs and coaching are the difference that will grow your bottom line.

Susan has 30+ years of experience working with the leadership at all levels of organizations. Clients include small and medium-size companies, not-for-profit organizations, federal, state and local government, colleges, universities, and clergy.

How Susan Got Her Start

Susan co-founded a non-profit that delivered mentoring programs for at-risk middle school students in the early 1990s. As Executive Director of the New Mexico Youth at Risk Foundation, Susan led an all-volunteer organization. She worked hand-in-hand with the Board of Directors. Her role included training hundreds of volunteer mentors to work with teens. She is an expert in non-profit fundraising and grant writing. In all, Susan has served as Executive Director of two benefit non-profits and one grant-making foundation. In addition, she’s served as a consultant and professional fundraiser for several other non-profits.

This background paved the way for Susan to launch Odyssey Mentoring & Leadership in 2009. That’s important because it means Susan brings her first-hand knowledge and experience with the power of effective communication and executive leadership to her work as a trainer, speaker, and presentation coach.

Susan is the is the author of Aspire Higher, a collection of true success stories of career and business mentoring. She has a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a master’s in Management & Organizational Leadership. Susan loves to travel the world for business and pleasure. Her base of operations is the Portland, OR metro area where she lives with her husband and yellow Labrador retriever.

Odyssey Mentoring & Leadership Clients

  • Capital Equipment Leasing
  • Chemeketa Community College
  • Arlene Cogen, LLC
  • Cosmetic Dental Services
  • Lawrence Livermore Laboratory
  • Leaps and Bounds
  • Lions Clubs
  • Maine Association of Healthcare Administrators
  • McDonald Jacobs Accounting & Consulting
  • Portland Community College
  • Portland General Electric
  • Oregon Association of School Financial
  • Aid Administrators
  • Sandia National Laboratories
  • Sistah Sistah Youth Mentoring Program
  • The Water Oasis – Wedding & Event Planners
  • Women at Intel – Rio Rancho
  • Unity Church of West Linn
  • Unlocking Futures Youth Mentoring Programs
  • People First

Public Service Is Important

Susan commits a quarter of her time to volunteer service.  She has served on a number of boards and committees and contributed significantly to the following organizations:

  • Friends of Washington County Kids
  • Toastmasters for Speaking Professionals