Suzanne Kelley: Diligence is in her DNA

Suzanne Kelley, the new president of the Waukesha County Chamber of Commerce, learned life lessons at any early age. Her parents, German immigrants, owned a small business and "demonstrated daily that key ingredients to success are persistence and hard work." In college, she supported herself by using her writing talents and later got a job as a reporter before her long tenure at GE. A lover of the arts, Kelley's secret ambition is to own a gallery for artists, writers and musicians. Read on to learn more about Suzanne Kelley.

Do you have a nickname? Susie to my childhood friends, Sue to my high school friends, Susan to those who can't remember or pronounce Suzanne. It's a basic name, with several different twists.

What makes you good at your job? I bring both a small business perspective and large business experience to the Chamber, along with a passion for Waukesha County, where I've lived most of my life. My parents owned a wholesale gift business which they started in the basement of our Brookfield home, but I spent much of my adult career in the corporate world managing public policy issues for GE. The Chamber has a very diverse membership, from single owner enterprises to multi-national corporations. I think my background allows me to understand and relate to companies of all sizes.

Give us a brief bio: I grew up in Brookfield, the first generation only child of German immigrants. As I said, my parents were small business owners who demonstrated daily that key ingredients to success are persistence and hard work. Our social circle was made up of other German families who settled in this area, and we spent almost every weekend together. Carl Schurz Park on Moose Lake was a favorite summer destination, and almost every autumn weekend was spent hiking and picnicking together at one of the local parks.

I graduated high school from Brookfield Academy and decided to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida -Gainesville. After graduation, I headed back home to begin my career search and landed a job as a writer and later editor at the Lake Country Reporter. I worked there for about five years before joining GE's government relations operation, where I spent more than two decades. When I heard that this position at the Chamber was opening up due to the retirement of my predecessor, Patti Wallner, I became very excited about the opportunity to put my experience to use on behalf of the broader business community of Waukesha County.

My husband, John, is a manager at MetalTek. We live in a home on North Lake with our two children, Michael, an eighth grader at North Lake School, and Melissa, a sophomore at Arrowhead High School.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? We sometimes visited my great aunt, Sister Edith, in Fond du Lac at the hospital where she worked. I loved seeing the newborns in the maternity ward, so for a time I wanted to be a pediatrics nurse. Later I discovered my strengths were more in the areas of English and writing, not science, so a medical field was really not in my future.

What would you do if you couldn't be what you are now? I would love to own an art gallery combined with a place for writers and musicians to congregate, or, perhaps be involved behind-the-scenes with a theater group. I'm a delighted spectator of the arts.

What's the best advice you ever got? Set high goals, do your best and don't give up.

Who's the wisest person you know? My mother, and she never has a shortage of advice!

How do you spend your free time? It's usually spent in the bleachers cheering on my kids' sports teams.

What are you passionate about? I'm passionate about the well-being of my family and about doing all I can to support a thriving business community in Waukesha County.

If you could invite anyone, past or present, to dinner, who would you invite? I think Ayn Rand would make for a fascinating dinner guest. "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" shaped so many people's thinking about freedom from bureaucracy and an individual's potential for achievement. I've met many business leaders who were influenced by her writings.

What would people be surprised to learn about you? That I helped support myself in college by writing news stories about engineering research taking place at the University of Florida.

Favorite movie? "Cabaret" remains one of my all-time favorites. Of course, the music and choreography are amazing, but it also provides some insight into the ominous undertones in Germany at that time.

Favorite book? I love the classics - Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck.

Words to live by? Be grateful for what you have every day.

Proudest moment(s)? I have a lot of proud moments - thanks to my children.

Describe your perfect day: My perfect day would begin with a strong cup of coffee and a good book before anyone else gets up. The rest of the day would be spent with my husband and kids, preferably outdoors. It would end with a glass of wine by the fire.