Susan McDowell (Essential 19 – 1998) began her Leadership Austin journey with an idea. She finished the program with a plan. Susan and her Leadership Austin cohort built the foundation for what would become the merger of four area nonprofits into LifeWorks, the organization that provides a comprehensive continuum of support for self-sufficiency across housing, counseling, education and workforce development to 4,000 Central Texas youth and families every year.Susan recently shared her Leadership Austin story with us. It’s one of collaboration, making a tangible difference in the community and still being engaged 20 years later.

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Sometimes, all it takes to make magic happen is putting the right people in a room together at the right time. That’s what happened when Susan McDowell (#LeadEssential 19 – 1998) connected with her Leadership Austin cohort over 20 years ago. On Day 11 of 40 Stories in 40 Days, Susan tells the story of how her Essential class contributed to the creation of LifeWorks. We are proud to celebrate 40 years of making magic happen in Greater Austin! #Lead40Stories #40thAnniversary

A post shared by Leadership Austin (@leadershipatx) on Dec 2, 2019 at 3:10pm PST

We last interviewed Susan in 2014. Revisit that story here. Susan also tells the story of LifeWorks in a podcast hosted by InsideATX. Learn more about LifeWorks and the services they provide in our community.

Follow the 40 Stories in 40 Days campaign on Instagram and on our website.

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