Suzanne Fitzgerald ’95

Suzanne Fitzgerald

“I’m a people person; I like meeting people and traveling.  I’m just not good at sitting in an office,” says Suzanne Fitzgerald ’95.

As vice president and personal client advisor in wealth advisory services for Wilmington Trust Corporation in Wlimington, DE, Fitzgerald is constantly on the move, meeting with clients and their attorneys to decide how best to manage their wealth.  “I do the financial advising and the trust, estate and investment work for clients with $25 million and more in personal net worth,” she explains.  “It’s interesting work, and it’s fun.”

It’s also a far cry from her original career plan, becoming a college president.  It was a goal she formed as an undergraduate at Plymouth State, and was one of the reasons she entered law school following graduation. “Bill Farrell [former PSU president] said that if I was looking to become president of a college someday, but did not want to teach for 20 years, a career in medicine or law might provide valuable experience,” she recalls.  “I did well on my LSATs and decided to go to law school.”

Following law school, Fitzgerald embarked on a career in finance with Ayco, a Goldman Sachs company, where she was for eight years prior to joining Wilmington Trust.  And while she loves her work, she says, “I still want to be a college president someday.”

Inspired by this goal and her love of Plymouth State, Fitzgerald accepted an invitation three yeras ago to serve on the President’s Council, a group whose chief priority is raising funds and developing resources that will advance PSU’s mission and vision.  “It’s a great opportunity to be involved in the University’s future and to give something back,” she notes.