Susan Lindahl loves school.
She’s basically gone to school her entire life, and things don’t seem to be changing any time soon.
Lindahl, the new chief communications and strategic planning officer, spent her first day on campus last week – the first of many more days she’ll be attending school.
“I think there is a really special energy here,” Lindahl, who has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Kansas, said. “There is such a strong sense of community, and I really hope I can add to that.”
Lindahl’s new job is a combination of two former positions, vice president of marketing and executive assistant to the president.
The consolidation of the two positions will require Lindahl to communicate effectively between the two departments, she said.
“I hope that I’ll be a good listener,” she said. “I hope to be able to provide leadership to reinforce our connectivity to campus.”
For the past year and a half, Lindahl has been working for a law firm in Kansas City, Kan., as the chief strategy officer. Before that, Lindahl worked for Johnson County Community College for 19 years.
Administrative Assistant Myra Glover said she looks forward to working with someone with so much experience in strategic planning.
“She’ll be wonderful to work with because she brings such a varied background,” Glover said. “She has the high energy that is needed for that position.”
Lindahl said she looks forward to helping make Baker a better place to live and work.
“I love assessment, whether it’s individual or institutional because you can use those numbers to help people and to make a difference in their lives,” Lindahl said about her duties. “I’ll get to work with strategic planning in this job.”
Not only will Lindahl bring experience to the president’s office, but she will also work closely with the marketing department.
"She's going to bring a great strategic outlook to everything," Joanne Tolkoff, multimedia designer and special projects coordinator, said. "She's going to create a really great alliance and bring our thinking in general more into line with each other."<br/>&#160;
Because Lindahl’s new position will consist of multiple duties, she’s expecting to spend even more time at school.
“I hope to become an integral part of Baker,” Lindahl said. “I love working with students.”
