Susan D. Strayer is a talent, brand and careers aficionado who has lived in start-ups, high-growth and mature companies from professional services to hospitality. She works in the intersection of where business meets behavior–where who we are and how we behave drives how and where we do business. Talent + brand is a powerful thing. From career coaching to recruiting strategy to social media, Susan has experience with in-house HR and recruiting, as a Fortune 500 consultant, and as a career and brand coach. Currently, she serves as Senior Director, Global Employer Brand and Marketing, for Marriott International.

After getting fired from her first job as a 13-year-old snack bar attendant, Susan got her first W-2 at the tender age of 14 and hasn’t stopped working since. She’s been a lifeguard, head cashier, customer service manager, waitress, PR intern, after-school aide, camp counselor, admissions marketer, orientation leader, cold caller, swim teacher, babysitter and peer counselor. And that was all before she graduated college.

Three degrees, thirteen years and two books later, her coffee-induced work ethic is spurred by new music, true passion, and a splash of Philadelphia-born honesty. She currently lives in Old Town, Alexandria, just over the bridge from Washington, DC. You can find her here, or at @SusanStrayer. If you want the fancy, full resume head on over to LinkedIn.