Sue Woolsey works at the juncture of nonprofit research, government policy, and the private sector, specializing in governance and effective communications. From 1989 to 2003, Woolsey served with the National Academies of Science and Engineering, and Medicine, first directing the National Research Council work in behavioral and social sciences, and then as chief operating officer and chief communications officer.
Prior to joining the Academies, Woolsey was a consulting partner with (now) PwC, focusing on financial and governance issues for research institutes and universities. She has also been an editorial writer for the Washington Post; associate director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget; research program director at the Urban Institute; and director for planning and evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. She was executive producer of the Murrow Award-winning 2008 documentary film Meeting David Wilson.
Woolsey received her BA cum laude from Stanford University and her MA and PhD from Harvard University in social and clinical psychology. She is chair emeritus of the boards of Colorado College, the Institute for Defense Analysis, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. She chairs the board of the Ocean Conservancy, and she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
