Susan Bonds-McCulloch, Dress For Success Atlanta (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 434)
Much more than a clothes closet, Dress For Success Atlanta works to meet the deeper needs of the women they serve. Executive Director Susan Bonds-McCulloch joined host John Ray to detail the various programs they have and offer some of their success stories. Susan discussed Dressed For Success’s professional training, encouragement, Career Center, the annual Gala that helps keep the work going, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Dress For Success Atlanta
The mission of Dress for Success Atlanta is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, career development tools, and professional attire to help women thrive in work and in life.
DFSA is not just a clothing closet, but also boasts a Career Center that is staffed with volunteer companies within our community. These professionals work with Dress for Success-Atlanta’s clients reviewing resumes, conducting mock interviews, helping with LinkedIn and other social media. The goal was for the business community to connect with the clients that Dress for Success serves in a meaningful way. There has been an overwhelming response to this corporate volunteer opportunity and the clients that Dress for Success serves continue to say how unexpected it is to work directly with a volunteer who has taken time out of their workday to help them achieve their goals!
Some of the companies that now work with Dress for Success-Atlanta include Delta Airlines, UPS, Masco, State Farm, Capital One, and many others. Dress for Success and its clients are truly overwhelmed by the desire of others in our community to help them succeed.
DFSA hosts several networking and educational programs such as Career KickStart, Inspire Success, Tools for Success, and Professional Workshops that are invaluable to the women they serve and the Atlanta Community as a whole.
The long-term goals for DFSA include a mobile unit and another Dress for Success location. DFSA’s desire is to help stem the cycle of poverty and to have a generational impact!
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Susan Bonds-McCulloch, President/Executive Director, Dress For Success Atlanta
Because of her passion to give back and help women, Susan Bonds-McCulloch joined Dress for Success-Atlanta (DFSA) as their Executive Director in October 2018. Prior to this Susan had a 20+ year career in the insurance industry as an Employee Benefit Broker working with companies to help them plan, design, and implement their benefit programs. Susan found that her passion was helping others when they needed it most…when they or a loved one needed care.
Since joining Dress for Success-Atlanta, Susan has implemented many changes with the goal to empower more women in our community. DFSA relocated and now boasts a bright welcoming location for the women they serve. DFSA held their very first Gala in November of 2019 and pivoted during 2020 to hold a virtual gala!! The 3rd annual event will be held on September 17th at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead. Without these signature events, DFSA could not continue to serve its community.
Susan loves to meet others who wish to be a part of and help with the mission of helping women in our community. This includes businesses that may wish to partner with DFSA along with individuals who may wish to work with DFSA on committees, through volunteerism, or by giving back monetarily.
In addition, Susan is a founding member of a women’s group the Women’s Introduction Group (WIG). WIG is a group designed by women for women to help them navigate their careers, network, and give back to our community. The goal is to always help another woman grow their career path.
Questions and Topics in this Interview:
- Tell me about Dress for Success Atlanta? Who you are and the population you serve?
- Have you always worked in a non-profit? What led you to Dress for Success?
- It sounds like you do more than just dress women, can you tell me a bit more about the programs that you offer?
- Can you tell me how the annual Gala event helps the women that Dress for Success Atlanta serves?
- What is your 3 – 5 year plan for Dress for Success Atlanta?
- What are some of your most urgent needs?
North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven-ready, cooked from scratch meals to go they call “Let Us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to their website or call 678-336-9196.
