Susan Skjei, Ph.D., is an educator, coach, and organizational consultant specializing in leadership and transformative change. In 1972 Susan began her studies with the Vidyadyhara, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. She attended the 1974 seminary and early Kalapa Assemblies and, at his request, became the first Shambhala Training resident director in the San Francisco Bay Area. Later, she became a student of the Sakyong and served on the Shambhala Board of Directors for over 10 years. During that time she was also Vice President of Human Resource Development and Chief Learning Officer for a large high-tech company.

Susan has taught extensively and has provided mentoring, training and facilitation to many Shambhala Centers in North America and Europe. Currently, Susan is the director of the Authentic Leadership program at Naropa University and a founding member of the Authentic Leadership in Action (ALIA) Institute in Nova Scotia. She also consults internationally with leaders of non-profit organizations and businesses worldwide through her company Sane Systems. She lives with her husband, Jim Pascucci, in Longmont, Colorado.