Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Languages
Timeline
Generic
Suzanna Gardner

Suzanna Gardner

Summary

Dynamic leader in Operations, Outreach, and Talent Development with over a decade of experience in higher education, national research infrastructure, government talent acquisition, entrepreneurship, and athletic program leadership. Expertise in building and scaling impactful programs and teams from inception, demonstrated by the successful delivery of over 150 outreach and training initiatives that engaged more than 2,600 participants and reached over 3,000 stakeholders. A unique blend of strategic operations, full-cycle recruiting, business ownership, and head coaching experience enables effective leadership in diverse environments focused on people, performance, and outcomes. Recognized for the ability to translate complex objectives into measurable results while aligning talent, programs, and partnerships to foster sustainable organizational impact.

Overview

15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Sr. Research Operations Manager for Outreach & Engagement

Purdue University, Rosen Center for Advanced & Research Computing
10.2022 - Current
  • Designed and executed the Anvil Outreach and Engagement Plan, driving measurable growth in HPC adoption across Purdue University and the national CI community, supporting hundreds of researchers, educators, and students.
  • Planned, delivered, and supported 150+ outreach activities, workshops, training sessions, presentations, and CI symposia, engaging 2,600+ participants in advanced computing topics, including HPC and cybersecurity.
  • Served on multiple national conference committees, contributing to program development and outreach strategy to impact over 1,000 conference attendees.
  • Led the development and execution of immersive Summer College for High School Students programs in cybersecurity and coding, providing hands-on instruction to 100+ students and significantly increasing early-stage computing career interest.
  • Launched and scaled a K–12 Outreach and STEM Education Program, introducing HPC concepts to hundreds of students and establishing 10+ strategic partnerships with schools and community organizations.
  • Collaborated with the Indiana Children’s Museum to deliver large-scale public STEM programming, extending computing education to thousands of annual visitors.
  • Represented Anvil and RCAC at 10+ national conferences (PEARC, SACNAS, AIHEC), strengthening cross-institutional collaborations and bridging K–12, higher education, and CI communities.
  • Executed targeted outreach campaigns that reached over 3,000 stakeholders, resulting in increased engagement, new user onboarding, and sustained interest in Anvil/HPC resources.
  • Developed and optimized RCAC’s tour of the Envision and the Data Centers and engagement program, hosting 50+ presentations and facility tours for higher education and expanding K–12 participation year over year.
  • Designed and implemented RCAC’s first Staff Retreat Program, delivering quarterly professional development sessions that enhanced staff cohesion, collaboration, and organizational effectiveness.
  • Partnered with marketing and communications teams to produce 30+ targeted outreach assets (emails, presentations, educational materials) highlighting Anvil’s composable systems and research capabilities.
  • Leveraged national CI networks (ACCESS Campus Champions, CaRCC, CASC, US-RSE) to deliver invited talks, workshops, and conference submissions, expanding national access to Anvil resources.
  • Tracked and reported comprehensive outreach performance metrics, including engagement volume and new user acquisition, to inform senior leadership’s strategic decision-making.

Talent Acquisition Specialist

KBR- National Securities Technologies Group & Government Solutions
07.2020 - 10.2022
  • Managed full-cycle recruitment of highly cleared technical talent from Secret to TS/SCI and Polygraph for NRO, NGA, IC, and DoD efforts, specializing in Cryptologic Engineering, Space Engineering, RF Systems Engineering, and Software Development.
  • Supported proposal efforts for KBR in science, technology, engineering, and logistics for government projects worldwide.
  • Executed successful recruitment strategies, including direct sourcing and networking, to attract, screen, and select high-quality applicants and generate qualified candidate pools.
  • Collaborated directly with hiring managers, directors, VPs, and external customers to determine necessary skills for each position and coordinate interviews across multiple platforms (in-person/Microsoft Teams/Zoom).
  • Managed the Applicant Tracking Systems (Phenom, Workday), maintaining accurate candidate records and utilizing appropriate keywords to match organizational needs.
  • Successfully conducted recruitment activities at college fairs to identify and attract talented candidates for internships and full-time positions.

Head Strength & Conditioning Coach

University of the Ozarks
08.2016 - 06.2020
  • Designed, planned, built, and implemented the University’s first comprehensive Strength and Conditioning facility and program, serving 18 sports teams and over 260 athletes.
  • Prepared and managed an annual $30,000 budget plan, overseeing routine maintenance, equipment acquisition, and personnel requirements.
  • Planned and instructed performance training for over 260 student-athletes yearly across preseason, in-season, and post-season cycles.
  • Motivated, led, and safely instructed 30–40 hours per week of performance training, focusing on specific sports outcomes, injury prevention, and health and well-being.
  • Supervised, trained, and mentored a team of 10 staff members, including 6 work-study students, 2 interns, and 2 volunteer assistant coaches.
  • Participated in on-campus recruiting visits, evaluated potential student-athletes, and assisted the athletic department with fundraising efforts.
  • Served on the University’s search and hiring committee, evaluating candidates and advising the recruiting manager on potential prospects.
  • Built strong communication channels with Head Coaches, discussing performance improvements, training adjustments, and student-athlete concerns.
  • Successfully facilitated return-to-play guidelines for student-athletes recovering from injuries.

Owner/Director of Training and Sports Performance

Soul Ruckus Athletics
03.2011 - 08.2016
  • Drove athlete program success as the Program Marketing Manager, promoting programs through social media, special events, and community outreach.
  • Recruited, developed, and managed over 10 coaches across 2 locations.
  • Organized and facilitated over 20 international seminars and events, overseeing all logistics and operations for athletes, coaches, and guests.
  • Executed market research, created targeted marketing/promotion plans, and led staff recruiting, hiring, and performance evaluations.
  • Led 40 hours per month in basic physical training and Olympic Weightlifting instruction for competitive athletes.
  • Planned and led all performance training for high-performance clients, including professional Mixed Martial Artists, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Collegiate athletes, and World/Olympic-level wrestlers.

Education

M.A. - International Affairs, Diplomacy and Leadership

Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ

B.A. - Liberal Studies

California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA

Skills

  • Software & Systems: Phenom (CRM), Workday, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace Suite, Asana, Box, Slack, Teams
  • Project & Program Management: Strategic planning, metrics tracking, program evaluation, conferences, workshops, presentations, and symposium planning
  • Collaboration: Cross-functional team leadership, partnership development, community engagement, workforce development
  • Training & Development: Coaching, mentorship, international seminars
  • Adaptive learning
  • Conference participation
  • Program Manager
  • Project Manager
  • Proposal development

Certification

  • Multilingual
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate - the University of South Florida
  • Managing Talent Certificate - University of Michigan
  • Data Science for Everyone Certificate
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Certificate
  • Data Classification and Handling Educational Resources Certificate
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Certificate
  • USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach - Level I & II
  • NASE - National Association of Speed and Explosion
  • Member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association
  • 3rd (Dan) Degree Black Belt International Judo Federation
  • Multiple-time National Team Member and National Champion 57kg
  • Bronze Medal - 57kg - Asian Championships 1999 Guangzhou, CHN

Languages

English
Russian
Georgian
Uzbek

Timeline

Sr. Research Operations Manager for Outreach & Engagement

Purdue University, Rosen Center for Advanced & Research Computing
10.2022 - Current

Talent Acquisition Specialist

KBR- National Securities Technologies Group & Government Solutions
07.2020 - 10.2022

Head Strength & Conditioning Coach

University of the Ozarks
08.2016 - 06.2020

Owner/Director of Training and Sports Performance

Soul Ruckus Athletics
03.2011 - 08.2016

M.A. - International Affairs, Diplomacy and Leadership

Arizona State University

B.A. - Liberal Studies

California University of Pennsylvania
Suzanna Gardner