Susan Brake
Background
Susan joined DCI in 2007 after working for two years at a public relations agency in Cincinnati with clients such as Procter & Gamble and IHOP. Her innate business sense coupled with degrees in journalism and public relations from Northern Kentucky University allow Susan to quickly understand and explain her clients’ most newsworthy stories to the media.
Susan’s Passion for Places
Although she’ll always call Kentucky home, exploring different cities and cultures has always been Susan’s greatest desire and the reason she has gone on long trips away from home. It was this drive to learn more about the world that ultimately led Susan to DCI’s doorstep and into the arms of people who love telling the stories of diverse places just as much as she does.
Notable Results
- To help the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation make a splash surrounding the launch of its Colorado Cleantech campaign targeting national and international companies in wind, solar, biofuels, smart grid and natural gas, Susan oversaw a traditional and social media marketing campaign, which included more than 65 participants in a first-of-its-kind #CleantechHub Twitter chat and placements in Forbes.com, Bloomberg and Newsweek online.
- To promote San Diego’s burgeoning clean technology industry, in particular within the realm of algae-to-biofuel development, Susan has hosted over 26 journalists to the region to see the product first hand resulting in full-page articles appearing in various national publications including The Los Angeles Times, international publications including The Economic Daily of China and trade publications including Cleantech Investor.
- To kick start a media relations program with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Susan coordinated and hosted a media tour to Washington D.C. and New York City with the Commerce Secretary and the Mayors of Oklahoma City and Tulsa to discuss why Oklahoma’s economy would come out of the recession stronger than most cities in the U.S. This effort resulted in articles about Oklahoma’s economy appearing in USA Today, Newsweek, The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal online.
Up Close
As a self-professed extravert, Susan loves being the center of attention. Coming from a family in which there are nearly 30 cousins on one side and more than 50 on the other, Susan may have found getting in the spotlight to be a challenge. But thanks to her caustic sense of humor, she remains in the spotlight as the family’s “funny cousin,” which suits her just fine.
Where You’ll Find Susan on a Sunny Day
Because she recently moved to Denver, you’ll find Susan immersing herself in her new city in the company of her husband Beau and their two chocolate labs, Luke and Nevada. Immersion comes in many forms for Susan, including getting lost in the mountains, running or biking on a nearby trail and visiting her neighborhood’s many restaurants.
Places that Susan has Called Home
Cold Spring, Kentucky
Erlanger, Kentucky
Denver, Colorado
Surprising Facts about Susan
Yes, Even Adults Can Wear Tutus
Susan took tap, ballet and jazz until she reached high school. Even though she claims she was never very good at dance due to her lack of coordination, she decided to take another stab at this delicate art during college. She still can’t believe that not only did her old studio instructors accept her into the advanced adult dance class, but they also allowed her to perform on stage in front of a live audience.
“Bonjour, je m’appele Inigo Montoya. Vous avez tué mon pere, preparez de mourir.”
Susan loves quirky movies and loves translating famous lines from them into French – even if her translation is completely off and no one in France would really get her joke. Just for fun, the above quote should say, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die.” Incidentally, this line comes from Susan’s favorite movie, “The Princess Bride.”
Getting Dogs Out of the Doghouse
Although Susan has always been a huge lover of canines, it wasn’t until last year when she adopted a female chocolate lab named Nevada that she became a dedicated advocate for rescuing animals. Visit Dogs Deserve Better to learn more about the organization that put Susan in touch with the most loving dog in the world.
