Difference Maker!
This week I would like to talk about a difference maker for me personally, and whether people realize it or not, all of Youngstown, Ohio. She is a local woman with a tremendous impact. Her name… Suzanne Barbati, the former Executive Director of OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center in downtown Youngstown.
Suzanne Barbati has been with OH WOW! since its fruition. It was only a few months after the job posting that Suzanne took the bull by the horn and began steering the ship known as OH WOW! There are a million other idioms I could use to describe what she has accomplished.
Since its founding in 2011, OH WOW! has become a staple in our community, an anchor of economic development, and has brought stem education well beyond the downtown market. Suzanne would never claim to have done all the above on her own, making her a true leader.
I met Suzanne a few years back when I wanted to help raise money for OH WOW! by combining the museum biggest fundraiser, Science of Brewing, with a podcast I had started, Homes and Hops. Homes and Hops was created to connect local businesses, specifically brewers, with area hometowns. My goal was for Homes and Hops to bring additional dollars by organizing a 5k with the breweries leading up to the event. Suzanne loved the idea and welcomed me with opens arms. I didn’t know it then, but she has been a phenomenal force, mentor, and cheerleader for me ever since that day.
And that’s what she does… she helps build you to what you need to be, she gets you to pause when needed, that push when you want to stop, and most importantly, she is your biggest advocate as a woman in the world. How lucky are we!? How lucky am I?!
Suzanne Barbati is a difference maker! She even helped pick her predecessor at the museum and has the upmost faith and confidence in all they can accomplish. Of course, she still has her hands in the community. She’s still at the museum helping it grow in a new way. I mean if someone like her wants to still give, you take it, and appreciate it!
Suzanne, I love you and thank you!