About.
Creating a culture of acceptance.
Born out of the need to create actionable change for the LGBTQ+ population in the workplace, With Pride Consulting (WPC) is at the forefront of championing inclusiveness strategies in and around Raleigh, NC through training, consulting, and speaking engagements.
WPC’s growing list of clients includes Relias, Cree/Wolfspeed, North Caroline State University, Wake County Public Schools (WPCC), ElectriCities, Kay Yow Cancer Fund, and One Woman International.
Susie Silver
Founder and CEO of With Pride Consulting (WPC)
As a woman, mom, and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Susie understands how it feels to hide her authentic self in the workplace, and ever since she was outed, she’s made it her mission to educate others on LGBTQ+ inclusion and support actionable change. Today, she partners with various educational facilities, start-up businesses, and Fortune 500 companies to provide advice on how to build safer and more inclusive workplaces.
“This is my life, not a lifestyle.”
Outed at 27 years old, Susie held onto her story for a long time. During this period, she realized that she was downplaying her authentic self both professionally and privately, and often hid elements of her personality from friends, family, and colleagues.
Susie discovered her calling as an active ally for LGBTQ+ people when she was sitting in a faculty meeting at school. Faced with the statistic that LGBTQ+ teens were 200-300% more likely to commit suicide than their peers, she felt moved to bring awareness to this largely unaddressed subject. Simultaneously, she noticed that there were almost no openly gay professionals in leadership roles.
The wheels were put into motion, and shortly thereafter, Susie was fully-booked speaking in schools across the city. Encouraged by her wife, Ann, she founded With Pride Consulting in 2015 and has spoken at many top conferences including the 2020 NC Chamber Workforce D&I conference, Women Empower X (WEX) conference in 2019, and Time Out Youth’s Carolina Conference on Queer Youth in 2017. Susie has also guest-hosted podcasts such as the Greater Than podcast and Wired 2 Change.
Her reputation for being up-front, authentic, and emotional about LGBTQ+ issues has contributed to Susie’s success. Today, her unique perspective and future-ready strategies have helped redefine company cultures and allowed all people to feel welcomed, valued, respected, and heard. Susie’s efforts have deepened recruitment pools, increased employee productivity, and boosted companies’ bottom lines. And non-LGBTQ people have shared their gratitude to Susie for empowering them to be a strong support to their LGBTQ+ friends, colleagues, children, and neighbors.
Susie continues to work as an accomplished artist, educator, and public speaker. She lives in Cary, North Carolina, with her wife, two children, and a dog called Clark Griswold. When she is not teaching or meeting with clients, Susie enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, painting contemporary art in her downtown Raleigh studio, and baking delicious treats!
Take action.
Visit Susie Silver Art.
Connect with Susie on LinkedIn.
Get in touch with WPC and Susie about an event.
Find resources on how to be an active ally for the LGBTQ+ community.