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ABOUT ARETE COMMUNICATIONS
Susann Thiel launched Arete Communications in the spring of 2004 with the knowledge and skills gained from nearly two decades in public relations, journalism, marketing and fundraising. She has won numerous professional and peer awards for her work.
At the Binghamton University Foundation, State University of New York, Thiel conceptualized, wrote and managed national award-winning print and electronic communications materials that helped the university to raise nearly $44 million in its first-ever major gifts effort, well above the university's $36 million goal.
Thiel subsequently strategized, researched, wrote, and assisted with design and production of the "next generation" of University Foundation materials, including the annual report, case statement, newsletters, annual fund materials and a new Foundation website that have helped the University to continue shattering all previous fundraising milestones.
Thiel served as publications chair on the steering committee for the 2005 Celebrating Women in Business Conference, sponsored by the Small Business Development Center at Binghamton University and co-sponsored by Time Warner Cable. Thiel redesigned the conference logo and designed, wrote and produced the conference program, registration brochure and other marketing materials. The conference attendance rose by more than one-third over 2004, to 270 people, and the number of major sponsors doubled.
This year, Thiel served as publications chair on the steering committee of the Dare to Grow 2007 conference on entrepreneurship, sponsored by Broome Community College. The conference offered professional development seminars and networking opportunities with Southern Tier business leaders, and served as the signature event of BCC's year-long celebration of the region's entrepreneurial spirit.
Before coming to Binghamton, Thiel served as a public relations manager at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, the world's largest destination gaming resort. She handled tours, interview and filming requests from major national and international media. The print and visual materials she created for a Hartford Ballet production, supported by a $1 million leadership grant from Foxwoods, received an International Association of Business Communicators award for Best External Communications Program.
Thiel also designed a kiosk- and Web-based communications network for Foxwoods' 13,000 employees, most of whom work non-traditional hours on different properties, and are not office-based. She wrote and produced segments for a Telly Award-winning employee television network and edited a monthly newsletter with a nationwide circulation of 16,000 people, including members of Congress and other important policymakers.
During Thiel's eight years in newspaper journalism, she covered casino gambling, Indian tribal government and culture, labor union reforms and municipal news. Her work at a 50,000-circulation Connecticut daily newspaper won several major awards for specialty reporting and spot news coverage.
Thiel is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and served two terms as membership chair on the Communications Association of the Southern Tier executive board of directors (2004-05). She currently serves on the board of directors of United Way of Broome County and was recently elected to a second term, 2007-10. While serving on the UWBC's communications division (2004-05), Thiel helped to develop successful fundraising strategies and materials for the annual fundraising campaign. She also chaired a UWBC allocations panel, working directly with local social service agencies to ensure that United Way dollars are efficiently and effectively spent.
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