Suzanna Stribling
Executive Director
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- Full Name
- Suzanna Stribling
- Title
- Executive Director
- Firm
- The Wilbur & Hilda Glenn Family Foundation
- Firm Type
- Private family (philanthropic) foundation — grantmaker, not a venture/angel fund
- Investment Stage
- Grants and program funding, awarded by invitation only (not startup equity/seed rounds)
- Target Company Profile
- Nonprofits, universities, medical/research institutions, and community organizations aligned with the trustees' interests
- Sector Focus
- Medical research & healthcare (notably breast cancer), education & youth development, social justice/civic engagement, and community/economic development
- Geographic Focus
- Georgia and the Southeast (with select national and Maine coastal commitments)
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia (42 Lenox Pointe, Atlanta, GA 30324)
Background
Suzanna Stribling has served as Executive Director of The Wilbur & Hilda Glenn Family Foundation since 2010. The Foundation is a private family philanthropy (established in 1996) whose stated mission is to "enhance the quality of human life by making grants" that reflect the interests and passions of its trustees and are structured to achieve significant, measurable impact. The Foundation accepts proposals by invitation only, reflecting a selective, trustee-driven grantmaking model rather than an open application process.
Before joining Glenn, Stribling held several positions from 2004 to 2010 at the Southeastern Council of Foundations (now Philanthropy Southeast), a regional association representing more than 300 family, corporate, community, and independent foundations across 11 states. Earlier in her career, from 1990 to 1997, she served as the founding director of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, helping build the infrastructure for Georgia's nonprofit sector.
Stribling holds a master's degree from the School of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in English from Berry College. She earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 2010. She is active in Atlanta's civic and philanthropic leadership community as a member of Leadership Atlanta and Leadership Georgia, and she currently serves on the board of the Georgia Social Impact Collaborative. She has previously served on numerous boards, including the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, the Georgia Society of Association Executives, and the Friends School of Atlanta.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Operates as a grantmaker, not a venture/angel investor — the Foundation deploys philanthropic capital, not equity checks, and funds by invitation only.
- Trustee-driven priorities: grants "reflect the keen interests and passions of the Foundation's trustees" and are "structured to achieve significant impact" (Foundation mission statement).
- Core focus areas evidenced by the Foundation's named endowments and gifts:
- Medical research and clinical innovation, especially breast cancer care
- Education, philanthropy education, service learning, and children's environmental programs
- Social justice, moral courage, and civic engagement
- Community and small-business/economic development in select communities
- Geography: primarily Georgia and the Southeast, with specific commitments extending to Emory University, Georgia Tech, and Maine's coastal communities.
- Access model: unsolicited proposals are generally not accepted; funding flows through relationships and trustee-directed initiatives.
Notable Investments
- Glenn Family Breast Center at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute — created with a ~$10 million commitment in 2010 to expand research, develop new care-delivery models, and support innovative clinical trials; contributed to Winship's 2017 NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation (the only one in Georgia).
- Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage (Georgia Institute of Technology) — an award recognizing individuals who take moral stands at professional risk; past honorees include Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, John Lewis, William Foege, and Andrew Young.
- Lou Glenn Children's Garden — a children's environmental / education program named for the family.
- Tom Glenn Community Impact Fund — supports small-business and economic diversification in coastal communities.
- Island Institute (Maine) — community-development work in Maine's coastal communities.
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