Suzanne Pfister is the President and CEO of Vitalyst Health Foundation. It is a $120 million public foundation focused on Arizona health policy, technical assistance for non-profits and strength-based community engagement and systems change. She and her colleagues are working on a variety of projects, including support for the Cover AZ Coalition, which is focused on Medicaid and federal marketplace enrollment, assistance to cities in Arizona to integrate health into land use planning and community development, and promoting health innovation.

Prior to this, she was Vice President of External Affairs for Dignity Health Arizona. In this capacity she was responsible for federal, state, and local government relations and outreach to the business community for the Arizona market. She also was the Vice President for Marketing and Communications at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center for many years.

Suzanne also served as a community relations consultant and partner for two small businesses for more than a decade, serving clients throughout Arizona. She also has worked with state, regional and local governments, managing diverse issues such as energy conservation, air quality, transportation, taxpayer services and higher education.

Suzanne has a Master’s Degree in Public and Environmental Affairs from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Urban Studies from Occidental College.

She currently serves on The Arizona We Want Institute’s Board of Advisors, as well as the board of directors for the Friends of Public Radio Arizona, the Arizona Grantmakers Forum, Greater Phoenix Leadership, the Arizona Town Hall, and the Maasai Education, Research and Conservation Institute, USA. She also is a member of the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee, and the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce’s Healthcare Leadership Council

Her hobbies are travel and landscape photography