Trusted Board Advisors

Abi brings thirty years of experience as an executive search consultant, serving the needs of corporate boards and senior executive teams. For the past fourteen years, Abi has served as a partner and co-founder of Parker Snowe, an executive search firm focused on serving the CEO and executive team needs of select clients, and she has served for the past eight years as a partner and co-founder of Marie Norman LLC. Earlier in her career, she served with two of the world’s largest executive search firms: first with Heidrick & Struggles for fifteen years and then with Spencer Stuart for four years.

Abi earned a masters degree from Columbia University, and a B.S. degree from Arkansas State
University.

Bruce brings thirty years of experience serving corporate boards and executives, including as a global practice head for three of the world’s largest executive search firms (Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds and Heidrick & Struggles). Fourteen years ago, he founded an executive search firm serving the CEO and board needs of a select group of clients, and eight years ago, he co-founded Marie Norman LLC focusing exclusively on serving corporate boards. Earlier in his career, he served for seven years with the investment banking firm Kidder, Peabody, where he helped clients around the globe execute more than 50 mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and capital markets offerings in both public and private markets.

Bruce has worked extensively with board members, private equity owners, CEOs, and other senior executives across the globe. He has represented both the largest and smallest of companies, and all forms of ownership: privately held, publicly traded, mutual and reciprocals.

Bruce served until recently as a founding member of the board of directors of the Wolcott School, the Southeast Chicago Commission and on the board’s Executive Committee of the Francis W. Parker School. He earned a master’s degree, with distinction, from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and holds a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin.

Suzanne’s thirty-year career spans several industries as a senior officer. She built her practice and reputation in board search and advisory services following twenty years of executive experience with leading companies including McDonald’s, Allstate and Zurich North America. She has close to a decade of search experience including director recruitment, reconstituting legacy boards, board assessment, assembling boards for corporate spinouts and IPO’s, and advising CEOs and executives about board service.

Suzanne’s strength is combining her executive experience with the freedom to provide outcome-focused results governed only by her clients’ best interests. A visionary and change agent, she has held executive roles in financial services in a variety of capacities from chief people officer (section 16 officer), strategy, technology, perations and has twice started her own firm – once as a change management consultant to McDonalds for an international technology initiative, and the second time as a co-founder of Marie Norman LLC to serve the board needs of F100-to preIPO companies. She has also served on a variety of non-profit and academic boards and has been a guest speaker at business courses for DePaul University.

Suzanne served until recently as a Chairman Emeritus of the Dean’s Advisory Council for DePaul University’s College of Communication, and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. She earned a B.S. degree, magna cum laude, from Marquette University.

Barbara brings thirty years of experience as a results-oriented executive with extensive leadership experience. She leads our technology, operations and client research efforts. As a former senior executive with several leading financial services brands, and as the CEO of a user group of independent insurance agents, Barbara has broad experience in strategic planning, finance, marketing, technology, and operations.

Barbara earned a BS from Arizona State University and holds these designations from The Institutes: Associate in Information Technology (AIT), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Associate in Reinsurance (ARe), and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).

Bill is our lead research consultant, building upon years of experience in historical research and writing. He currently is an adjunct professor of history at Monmouth University and Director of Knowledge Management for a nationally recognized emergency management telecommunications, software, and security firm, where he manages, writes, and archives all company content, technical documentation, and marketing initiatives. Additionally, he researches and lectures for local historical societies and sits on multiple society boards, including that of the Ocean County (NJ) Historical Society.

Prior to these, he earned a master’s degree summa cum laude from Monmouth University and later worked for the Monmouth County, New Jersey government in public relations and outreach, historical liaising, voter education, publishing, and social media. He also finds time for archaeological excavations, both in actual digging and in preliminary research and post-excavation identification.