Susan Lambert (1948-2022)

This program was inspired by Susan Lambert, Elizabeth’s mother, who believed deeply in the transformative and healing power of curiosity, conversation, storytelling, and art – and in the strength of young people's visions and voices, especially when they are nurtured in community.

Susan was a celebrated artist, photographer, writer, and creator, known for her adventurous spirit and tireless drive to dream, explore, and make things possible. More than 10 years ago, she and Elizabeth began dreaming together about a Fellowship that would give young people the encouragement, resources, relationships, and room to pursue what mattered to them. Their idea was also shaped by Elizabeth's own experience receiving a Fellowship in seventh grade, an opportunity that changed her life. Susan gave the initial seed funding for a Pseads Fellowship program, and this program carries that dream forward.

Susan was a dedicated artist who could create just about anything.  She earned a degree in education from the University of Missouri and taught for a number of years before returning to school to pursue a Master of Arts in Photography and Media Studies. Her creative work included commercial, large-format architectural, and portrait photography, as well as graphic design. Susan taught at many levels, from high school and college to adults and professional communities, and was the author of nine books, including multiple memoirs and collections of essays, among them a chronicle of the 18 months she spent exploring North America in an extreme RV.

Susan was magnetic, warm and generous. She lived each day as a new opportunity to “see the extraordinary in the ordinary," and she brought a spirit of boundless curiosity to the world that Pseads hopes to carry on and to nourish and embolden in people of all ages.