Suzanne Greif

Brainstormer, Concerned citizen, Connector, Designer, Event planner, Idea generator, Parent, Philanthropist, World traveler

The life I’ve led has exposed me to many things I’ve become passionate about. Early on I was an artist, and my studies focused on that subject. When I was going back to college I learned about Industrial Design, and it was love at first sight. Industrial Design is a combination of art, science and engineering covering several disciplines. One important foundation that was emphasized were several models for problem solving. We were taught that if you can embrace the art of problem solving, that if you can dream it, you can do it. That foundation has allowed me to do many things that I sometimes even had no previous experience doing, and doing it well. I later went to graduate School to study Counselor Education at Ohio University. What does that have to do with Industrial Design? The need to problem solve. I worked mostly with people who had felony backgrounds and lived with either mental illness or substance abuse or both. My passion extended from my personal brush with substance abuse. I’m clean and sober six years now. I continue to be very active and involved in my recovery community. One current passion that I’m sure you’ll notice me discussing in a few parts of this application is my passion for working with rescue Rabbits and seeking out ways we can integrate them into our community to provide therapeutic interactions that will benefit our community. Running the rescue, which is a 501c3, has demanded I wear many hats. Again, my foundation of problem solving has allowed me to tackle each new challenge and need that has come before the rescue.

I’d have to say problem solving for anything put in front of me is my biggest passion. It’s opened the doors for me to follow a great variety of of projects. Another valuable foundation was integrity of your work, responsibility and accountability to your client, and maintaining high standards.

If you’ve been taught how to think creatively, analyze and decode situations put before you, and enjoy problem solving and implementing what you’ve learned, you can do about anything that you can dream up,

art, community event organizing, counseling, Industrial Design, Recovery, Rescuing Rabbits

I’m inspired by the TED Talks I see, and decided we might showcase the variety of talents, expertise, skills, etc that we have here. I have a passion for creating connections and networks for folks so they can grow their social circles, become more aware of the community they live in, network to grow business and livelihoods, and in general be exposed to new and different ideas and points of view. The way TEDx is structured, it seems the perfect vehicle to take these efforts to another level of sharing and growing the community we live in.

Sitting on my front stoop, gleaning lessons from the nature that surrounds me in the rural and wooded location I live. I get my best ideas and solutions to problems by observing the trees, my neighbor haying his field, the squirrels playing, the pileated woidpeckers laughing at me, the stars in the sky, the orchestra of the night peepers in the wetland. Nature has a lesson, metaphors, and a solution for everything.