Susan B. Wilson was appointed to the Jackson County, Missouri Mid-Continent Public Library Board. Susan B. Wilson PhD MBA is a licensed clinical psychologist with a multifaceted career in education, healthcare administration, consulting, clinical and media work. She currently serves as principal of Wilson and Associates, an organization that focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), training, program development and consulting. Wilson retired recently from the role of Vice Chancellor of the Division of Diversity and Inclusion. In this chief diversity officer role, she led a diversity organizational development strategy including diversity and inclusion assessment, planning and initiatives for students, faculty, and staff and community.
Wilson has over twenty years of mental health and diversity-related experience. She previously served as Associate Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at UMKC School of Medicine. For the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), Wilson was the Central Region’s representative for the Group on Diversity and Inclusion (GDI). She also developed a diversity training program for mid and upper management for the Central Region of the Federal Aviation Administration. During a time of racial tension, she was a consultant to four local school district superintendents to assess the diversity climate and offer training and recommendations. Wilson has also provided training and diversity consultation to many business and government organizations, and served on the Mayor’s Human Rights Commission.
Wilson attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology and an M.B.A. from the Bloch School of Business at UMKC. Wilson has held leadership positions in several notable health and behavioral healthcare organizations in the Kansas City area, including Swope Health Services and St. Luke’s Health System. She has also served as a consulting psychologist to the National Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs and a host and contributor of a news, culture and arts radio magazine show for KCUR 89.3 FM, the Kansas City affiliate of NPR.
An avid reader, Wilson credits libraries as serving as a “life line” and a sanctuary while growing up in the Hill District of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Wilson is also an avid enthusiast of the arts. She is an art collector, and a frequent theatre and concert-goer as well as a financial supporter of the arts.
A 2018 winner of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce ACE Award for Diversity and Inclusion, Wilson has contributed her time and skills to numerous civic and community endeavors. Some highlights include the Jackson County COMBAT Commission, Missouri Department of Mental Health Cultural Competency Committee, and the Statewide African American Mental Health Taskforce. She is a former member of the Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City and is Chair of the Prime Health Board. She also serves on the Kansas City Crime Commission. Wilson is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Links, Inc., both public service organizations.