There’s a small sign posted at Susan Herd’s workstation that says: “When God made time, he made plenty of it.” It serves as a reminder to keep balance in her life, and that search for balance helped convince her to join Impact 100.
Delane Starliper invited Susan to an informational session four years ago and she was drawn to the concept as well as the realization that she knew little about the community in which she had been raised. After her first year on the Environment Committee, Susan was invited by Cathy Ernst to be the check writer for Impact and became a member of the Finance Committee. As part of that committee, she gets to see a sampling of requests from all the committees which appeals to her innate curiosity.
Susan was once a newspaper editor but after a few years in a newsroom in Vermont, she realized not much of it was appealing — except for the state editor. So she married him and found her way into operations at a regional bank. Eventually that job brought Susan and David back home to Cincinnati, where she manages credit card disputes for Fifth Third Processing Solutions.
The Herds live in the historic district in Newport and David is still in the newspaper business. They have no children but there are 25 nieces and nephews ranging in age from 1 to 33, most of them living nearby. In between family activities, Susan likes to work on their old house. Her greatest achievement so far was to dismantle and repair all 31 windows.
She says she gets a similar sense of achievement by being a part of Impact because her contributions can open windows for many others. That lesson carried over when Fifth Third wanted community liaisons with organizations in Madisonville. She signed up with E. Roger Jackson Adult Center and, as their liaison, rounds up volunteers for special events and small projects.
But what about balance, has Impact helped her find it? Absolutely, she says, and it also has shown her that adages live on because they’re true — there is strength in numbers. Impact proves it year after year.
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