Susan Bailey-Newell, ESQ. is the President and CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center.
Susan is a strategic, collaborative, and results driven executive with more than 30 years of experience spanning leadership, operations, legal, human resources, process improvement, M&A, and organizational transformation. She has led complex initiatives across multiple industries, including healthcare, housing, nonprofit, education, and energy/oil & gas.
Her career includes serving as Chief Operating Officer for The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County; Director of Legal Services, Human Resources, Marketing & Communications, Government Affairs, and Leasing for one of the nation’s largest housing authorities; and Assistant General Counsel for one of the country’s largest urban school districts. She has also held senior executive roles as Chief Human Resources Officer within major healthcare systems and a global private equity backed oil and gas portfolio company.
Susan has been an active civic and professional leader, serving on numerous boards and committees, including Healthcare for the Homeless, BridgeYear, the Cincinnati Bar Association, YWCA of Cincinnati, Women Helping Women, the Greater Cincinnati Women’s Lawyers Association (where she served as President), the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, the Northern Kentucky University Executive Leadership and Organizational Change Advisory Board, Patients Medical Center and Lakeside Hospital (both physician joint venture hospitals). Susan also volunteered as a Big Sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati and served as a court appointed special advocate (CASA) for the Northern Kentucky Children’s Law Center.
Her leadership and impact have been recognized through honors such as “Houston Power 50” by Texas Diversity Magazine and “Top 50 CHRO” by the National Diversity Council. Susan holds a BA from Xavier University and a JD from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University, where she served on both Law Review and Moot Court.