Susan Abrams

Biography

Abrams was born in New York City, New York, and attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1986 from the Wharton School summa cum laude. Abrams went on to get her Master of Management from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Abrams has served on the Chicago Children’s Museum Board of directors as well as the Board of Advisors for the Women’s Business Association and Center for Nonprofit Management at Kellogg School of Management.

Career

After graduation, Abrams became a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs and, later, a management consultant at McKinsey & Company/ After McKinsey, Abrams took the position of Vice President of Business, Strategic Planning, Marketing and Communications at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Under her management as VP, the museum more than quadrupled corporate sponsorships, admissions, and membership.

In 1997, Abrams left the Chicago Children’s Museum. Three years later, she published The New Success Rules for Women: 10 Surefire Strategies for Reaching Your Career Goals. After this, she founded an award-winning residential real estate company.

In 2009, Abrams became the Director of Program Review and Northwestern University. After two years there, Abrams moved on to become COO of JCC Chicago. Since 2014, Abrams has been the CEO of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. As CEO, Abrams is pioneering the way for holographic technology. Abrams has enabled the Museum, in partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation, secured 3D and interactional testimony from Holocaust survivor, Pinchas Gutter.