C. Suzanne Bates IIDA CID

Suzanne_Oct_09 041 - 2Suzanne received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Stephens College (the oldest women’s college west of the Mississippi),and is a recipient of their Excellence in Art Award.  She completed extended studies in Europe and a graduate level certificate program at Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, is listed in Who’s Who of Interior Design, and was the first Nationally Certified Interior Designer in Minnesota.  She also briefly attended their family owned business school because her Father told her that if she could type she would never starve—her highest marks were in penmanship.

Suzanne has been a vital force in the Minneapolis design community for almost three decades.  After ten years of senior positions with prestigious firms in both St. Louis and Minneapolis, Suzanne founded the award winning Design Syndicate, Inc. (DSI), a firm which received a national reputation for innovative, functional and cost-effective work.  DSI not only boasts an extensive list of internationally prestigious clientele including Yoplait, ConAgra, John Deere, Mayo Clinic. 3M and the singer formerly known as Prince, but has also been published in every major design magazine in America.

During this time period Suzanne was the Design Editor for Twin Cities Magazine, was a contributor to Corporate Report Magazine, chaired the National Speakers Bureau for the International Interior Design Association, did extensive public speaking and developed and presented a weekly segment for the television magazine show Corporate Video—a program on business for the local NBC affiliate.  Most recently she was Regional Marketing Director for HOK Architects, the world’s largest architectural firm.

Suzanne’s spiritually driven personal life consists of balancing four adult children (one is a cancer survivor), five grand-children, and a variety of exercise regimens while intensely pursuing her own personal growth.   In 2001, she and her former spouse co-chaired World Presidents Organization (WPO) Education Committee for the Twin Cities chapter winning a First Place Award for “Best Program of the Year” internationally.  Her passions include contemporary art (The Walker Art Center), boating, Team Ghana (an organization she co-founded in the late 90’s to empower the women and children of rural Ghana), philanthropy and horses.  Suzanne is an accomplished equestrian with multiple National Championships to her credit.

A glimpse inside her psyche would reveal an intensely energetic and spontaneous woman with a thirst for knowledge that is partially driven by her life long struggle with A.D.H.D. and minor learning disabilities.  Her commitment to empowering women was instilled in her by her mother and grandmother who were clearly capable of being so much more than society encouraged them to be.  Her humor and appreciation of the smallest details remain her fuel for life.

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