Susan Eleuterio received her B.A. in English/Education at the University of Delaware in 1974 then her M.A. in American Folk Culture/Museum Studies from S.U.N.Y. in Oneonta, New York in 1983. Soon after receiving her masters, Susan began work as a collections manager at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago then began teaching Language Arts and acting as the Folklorist-in-Residence at Morton East High School in Cicero, Illinois. In 1998, she was nominated for the Golden Apple Excellence in Teaching Award. Since 1996, Susan has been a teaching consultant for the Chicago Area Writing Project where she uses Folk Culture to inspire writing across the curriculum. From 2000-2003, she was the Director of Ethnic and Folk Arts, Literature, and Presenters for the Illinois Arts Council where she linked with non-for-profit organizations, individual artists, and regional and national Folk Arts Programs. Susan performed significant research, documentation, and educational programs in folk and traditional arts, oral history, arts education, and cultural history for several agencies, including the Artists Foundation in Boston, the Wisconsin Arts Board in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Southern Arts Federation in Atlanta, Georgia. From 2003-2007, Susan was the Executive Director and co-developer of GRANTS, Inc. a regional program of workshops and seminars on grant writing and other issues related to the needs of the non-profit sector in NW Indiana. It also partnered with national organizations that provided more funding information resources to area libraries and technical help to non-profits, especially those that served families, children, and the disabled. Currently, Susan co-directs the Company of Folk, a non-profit organization focused on preserving and presenting the local culture of the Chicago area and southern shores of Lake Michigan through public educational programs. Susan has several publications in different encyclopedias including “Irish” and “Chicago” in the Encyclopedia of American Folklore (2006).

Contact Email:  Sueeleu@gmail.com