Susan Karas brings over 30 years of experience working in healthcare, education, and social services to her work today. Susan is founder and president of Akouo, LLC, a counseling, coaching, and consulting enterprise that combines expertise in counseling and supervision with an understanding, passion, and drive to help small nonprofits achieve organization effectiveness and greater impact. Akouo is a Greek word that translates to “I listen”, a guiding principle of the organization.

Her diverse professional background has taken her from critical care nursing to agency and private practice counseling to university teaching and seminar presentations. Her interest in nonprofit work spans three decades. She is a founding member of the Northeast Ohio Bereavement Council and served on the advisory board of Cornerstone of Hope.

As a member of the Board of Trustees since 2002, Susan served as the President of the Board of Trustees for Lawrence School (2007- 2016). During her tenure, she was instrumental in co-leading the school through a period of transformative change.

Susan is a member of the Hellenic Preservation Society and runs several youth programs at St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church. The time spent directing the young adult Greek dance troupe and rap sessions for teens are among her favorite activities. She also serves on Cleveland Clinic Children's Leadership Council.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Baldwin Wallace University and a master’s in clinical counseling from the University of Akron. Her post-graduate work is in the areas of assessment, diagnosis, and leadership development. She holds current licenses in both Nursing and Counseling in the State of Ohio.

A lifelong resident of Northeast Ohio, Susan lives in Richfield with her husband Arthur. They have two grown children who are making their way in the world from New York and Boston. Her son is a graduate of Lawrence School, Class of 2010.