Biography
Susan Ralston is an award-winning, strategic, innovative leader and executive coach with a proven track record of building successful businesses. As an executive coach, she can partner with senior executives and high potential leaders to determine specific, sustainable actions that can bring positive transformation. Drawing from her 20+ years as a CEO, she can identify with leaders’ challenges helping them stay focused on the most impactful activities that drive key results. Susan is comfortable working one-on-one with leaders, board members and senior teams to help them engage in meaningful conversations that assist them in reaching goals together.
Prior to becoming an executive coach, Susan was the chief operating officer and senior vice president at Dollar Bank, headquartered in Pittsburgh. Previous to this position, she was the president/CEO of Bank @lantec for over 22 years. During that time, she led the effort to change the charter of the institution from a federal credit union to a federal mutual savings bank becoming the 1st credit union to convert in Virginia and the 25th in the country in 2004. In 2016, Susan successfully led the effort to merge with Dollar Bank, the largest independent mutual bank in the country.
Susan earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. and a master’s degree in business administration from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. She is also a graduate of the American Banker Association’s Stonier Graduate school held at Georgetown University. Susan is currently enrolled in Duquesne University’s Palumbo-Donahue School of Business to earn her professional coaching certification and will graduate in April 2019.
Susan is a member of the International Coach Federation. She serves on the Virginia Bankers Association’s Governmental Relations Committee and the Executive Women’s Leadership Council.
She recently earned the Cleveland Waltersdorf Award for Innovative Leadership in 2018 from Washington and Jefferson College. Inside Business Magazine selected Susan as one of the “Outstanding Women in Business” in Hampton Roads in 2010.
Susan is the founder and executive director of the Pediatric Proton Foundation, a Virginia non-profit corporation. After her 2-year-old son’s diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma in 2007, Susan became a dedicated advocate for children’s cancer initiatives and specifically pediatric proton therapy.
.png)