In 1999, Susan (she/her) founded the renowned philanthropic advising firm, Hirsch Philanthropy Partners–one of the first firms of its kind in the United States. Among its many esteemed clients was legendary San Francisco philanthropist, Warren Hellman, and his wife Chris; the Hellman Foundation continues to be a client today. Susan is a pioneer in Bay Area philanthropy and was named to the San Francisco Business Times’ 2024 Power 100 list of the region’s most influential business leaders.

In November 2023, Hirsch merged with Third Plateau to more deeply collaborate on solutions to the urgent challenges of our time.

Before starting Hirsch Philanthropy Partners, Susan was the founding Executive Director of the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, where she set up a new philanthropic model to expand early childhood education. She was previously Bay Area Executive Director of Strive for Five, a national campaign to promote community volunteerism and charitable giving, and a public affairs strategist for McKesson where she advised senior management for the nation’s oldest health care company on business, community, and political issues.

While earning a B.A. in International Economics and Russian from The George Washington University, she served as an aide to the U.S. Senator Henry Jackson (D-Washington) and later worked for the Council on Foreign Relations. She’s proud to serve on the Board of Directors for the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Advisory Committee of the UCSF Memory & Aging Center, and as a board member and officer of several foundations. She’s also active in numerous national philanthropic networks.

Susan is a longtime San Franciscan and in her free time, she and her wife Susan (yes, they’re the Susans!) enjoy Bay Area arts and live music, hiking in the beautiful open spaces, shopping at farmers’ markets, and cooking and eating at local restaurants. She loves to spend time connecting with her family, friends, and traveling across the world. Susan listens to a constant stream of podcasts that illuminate world affairs from different angles and inform fascinating discussions about social and political issues of the day.