Suzanne Forte
Public Affairs Officer, Atlanta Police Department
Suzanne Forte is a busy mom and public relations professional with more than 15 years of experience. She currently works as a public affairs officer and manages special events for the Atlanta Police Department. In the past three years, Forte has effortlessly managed more than 25 special events, secured $50,000 in major in-kind sponsorships and hosted APD’s monthly YouTube show, “Around APD.” Excellent customer service, strong research skills and writing are qualifications Forte says are needed for her position.
“The three important factors of being a successful woman are believing in yourself, never giving up and not comparing yourself to others,” Forte said. “You must be able to cheer yourself on and push through, even when you don’t want to. Success is all about charting the course and seeing things through. Don’t let doubt distract you from accomplishments. Your journey is unique and comparison will never get you to your destination.”
Giving back, helping others and wanting to leave a legacy for her son are major motivators for Forte. Her passion doesn’t stop when she leaves work, as her son is also a huge source of inspiration. She used his struggle with math to help others.
“I’m truly fortunate to work for an organization that serves and I’m thankful that I am allowed to form and nurture relationships that help to create change,” said Forte. “I spent many hours tutoring my son at home after a full day of work and school … and I placed him in an after-school tutoring program. Tutoring was successful in boosting my son’s math ability and confidence. I immediately thought about all the other ‘Malcolms’ and created Malcolm’s Marietta Summer Math Challenge.”
Volunteers from several organizations led interactive math games, and attendees also received free summer math kits.
“Implementation is everything,” advises Forte. “Good ideas are great but execution makes it happen.”
