Susan Amy Hunter, Chief Financial Officer

In 2002, my husband at the time and I decided to sign up for the Northeast Aids Ride. It was a 350-mile bicycle ride from Bear Mountain, NY to Boston, MA and raised money for AIDS research and supporting people’s medical care who are HIV+. When we had signed up the longest distance we’d been on a bike was 14 miles. We were always looking for ways to be in service to others, especially those who are marginalized. It was a life changing event for me. We trained for the event with other cyclists from Connecticut. The leader of the group collected Pez dispensers, so our group came to be known as “Team Pez”. We were a like-minded group of individuals. We became known as the ambassadors of the ride. We’d stop and help cyclists in distress, change tires, share water and food. Those of us who came into camp early would just start setting tents up for the other rides.

 

There were many things that happened during the 5 days of the event that have forever impacted who I am.  When we were leaving our camp at Yale in New Haven there were groups of people on either side of the road cheering us on. There was a little girl holding a sign that said, “You are heroes”. I remember thinking “I’m just a person on a bike.” When we were at camp one night, I was talking with a gentleman. He was such a cool person. I hugged him and he burst into tears. He was HIV positive, and people were hesitant to touch him. After all these years he was still suffering from the stigma of the disease. There was a cyclist who had spina bifida. He had never ridden a bike before but was determined to raise money and participate in the event. A local bike shop lent him a recumbent bike. He finished all 350 miles. 

 

For me it was a lesson in grit and determination. Day 1 the cyclist with spina bifida had damaged his drinking water bladder. It was a hilly, hot and grueling day. He was extremely upset that he may not be able to finish riding. I gave him my water bladder since I had two water bottles with electrolytes in them. We both completed the full 60 miles that day. The next day I was only able to finish 60 miles of the 100 that we were cycling due to dehydration from lending my water bladder the day before. I was able to finish the 80-mile day and the 55-mile day. The very last day as we were cycling from Dudley, MA to Boston, I was drained and exhausted. I was considering cycling to the second rest stop and then taking a SAG wagon to the rest stop just before we cycled into Boston. My teammate Peter saw me struggling. He rode up next to me and asked me what was going on. “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” and told him my plan. He told me that we were stopping at the next Dunkin’. He bought me an iced coffee, looked me in the eyes and said, “You can do this. I know you’re tired and sore. Take it one mile at a time. Don’t focus on how long you have to go. Just make it rest stop to rest stop. Dig in. You can ride all the way into Boston. I know you can.” He was right. I took it mile by mile, rest stop by rest stop. I as I rode into Government Center, the roads were blockaded for blocks. There here thousands of people there cheering us on as we completed our ride. We raised over $7,000. Most importantly I learned that my capabilities are only as great as the beliefs I hold. I discovered a level of grit and determination that I didn’t know I had. Most importantly, I discovered that one person can indeed make a difference in the world. 

 

At the time I worked for Hanover Insurance as a Project Manager in their Personal Lines Billing Department. When I came back from the ride, my heart wasn’t in my work anymore. Working to make money for shareholders wasn’t fulfilling to me. I longed to have my work make a meaningful difference in the world. I had considered switching major from business administration and accounting to social work. I was almost done with my degree and decided to stay the course. Instead, I asked myself how I can use my experience, knowledge and gifts to help others. That’s when I saw the employment add in the paper. Reliance Health (then Reliance House) , a non-profit in Norwich, was hiring a Controller. I applied, was hired and a year later became their CFO. 

 

After I left RH, I worked for organizations who provided substance use disorder treatment, serve those who are experiencing homelessness, and people who are under resourced and struggling to make ends meet. Some of the best moments of my career was my ten-year stint at Generations Family Health Center, a non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center. Reliance Health’s mission is similar to SCSI’s. Working here is like coming back to my roots.  

 

I am the Chief Financial Officer. I oversee the Finance and Revenue Management Cycle teams. My team and I support the mission by providing transparent and materially sound financial statements to our stakeholders. We are good stewards of our donated and grant dollars and take that oversight seriously. We support every program, team and employee in the organization in some way, shape or form.  One of my superpowers is business strategy and building strong relationships with others in the organization. Growth and innovation light me up. 

 

I love the culture and the people. It feels like home. Everyone is supportive and kind. There is a passion for the mission and the people we serve. There is a spirit of “We’re all in this together.” We work well together, agree to disagree and have the ability to diffuse stress with humor. We take what we do seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously.