Susan R. Lichtenstein

Susan R. Lichtenstein has had thirty-five years of boardroom and C-suite experience as the result of a career that has spanned the corporate, government, legal and professional communications arenas. A recognized expert in crisis, risk and reputation management, she has served as General Counsel of three multinational public companies, twice served in government, and been a law firm partner. Susan is currently Of Counsel to Riley Safer Holmes & Cancilla, a Chicago law firm. Before joining RSHC, Susan was Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer of Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., a leading global manufacturer and provider of medical technologies and related services. In that position, she was globally responsible for Hill-Rom’s government, public policy and legal affairs, corporate communications, and corporate support services. Before joining Hill-Rom, Susan had similar responsibilities as Corporate Vice President and General Counsel for Baxter International Inc., then a $12+ billion diversified healthcare company. She also held C-suite positions in the telecommunications industry, where she was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for both Ameritech Corporation and Tellabs, Inc. Susan began her career with a decade at a Chicago law firm, where she became an equity partner. Believing that, when public service calls, it’s right to answer, she has twice served in government, working for both the Mayor of Chicago and the Governor of Illinois. No stranger to the labyrinthine workings of politics and government, Susan managed and testified at Congressional hearings, dealt with cabinet-level officials, and worked with all levels of government agencies, legislatures and the press. It’s all about making strategic contributions in complex, multi-constituent settings. Susan worked her way through college and law school singing in piano bars, among other things. She can still occasionally be found behind a microphone and a keyboard. In the rest of her spare time, Susan serves on a number of civic and philanthropic boards, and has been a frequent teacher and speaker on risk, reputation and crisis management, dealing with regulators, corporate governance, women in business, and internal investigations.