Partners represent businesses providing professional services to the LSEGA Program
Suzanne Kirk
FacilitatorSuzanne Kirk is President & Executive HR Consultant with Employee Development Strategies, Inc, a human resources and organization development consulting firm established in 2011. Suzanne holds a Master’s Degree in HR Management and Development and is SHPR and SHRM-SCP Certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. She is a certified administrator of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the Leadership Versatility Index and the CPI260 managerial assessment. Suzanne was a featured speaker at the 2016 national SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) conference in Washington, DC, which hosted over 15,000 attendees from over 90 countries. Kirk’s topic was “Building Blocks to Effective Performance Management,” which focused on the importance of making the connection between an organization’s strategic plan and every employee’s contribution to meeting business objectives through their skills, competencies and behaviors. In 2019, she will serve as facilitator for her 7th year in partnership with the Leadership Southeast Georgia program. As Director of HR Services at a level-one trauma center teaching hospital, Suzanne led the Organizational Development, HR Business Consultant and Recruiting teams with a customer-centric approach to healthcare HR. As Associate Director of Global Learning and Development for a Boston-based marketing and technology professional services firm, Suzanne was responsible for the learning and development strategies for a global workforce of over 1200 employees. She drove the implementation of an organization-wide competency model and redesigned the performance management process in support of the initiative. Earlier in her career, Suzanne was an internal performance improvement consultant in the utility business during the deregulation of Georgia’s natural gas industry. Outside her HR consulting practice, Suzanne is the President of the Board, Susan G. Komen of Coastal Georgia and the Past-President, Metropolitan Savannah Rotary Club. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Suzanne has lived in Savannah, Georgia for over 15 years, where her and her husband (attorney Adam Kirk) enjoy raising their three young children.
Email:suzanne@kirkhr.com
Phone:912-663-5781
Address:Employee Development Strategies, Inc. 35 Barnard St. Suite 300 Savannah, GA 31401
Jessie Jenkins
Program AdministratorJessie Jenkins is a Strategy Consultant serving as Program Administrator for Leadership Southeast Georgia (LSEGA) through Cecilia Russo Marketing. She brings experience across social services, finance, economic development, and federal consulting, with a strong focus on project management and organizational effectiveness. Jessie is known for bringing structure to complex initiatives and helping teams move ideas from planning to execution.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and is an MBA Candidate, Class of 2026. Jessie is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and also holds certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Mental Health First Aid, and Intercultural Protocol. Her work blends strategic thinking with practical implementation, ensuring programs are both mission-aligned and operationally sound. After nearly a decade living and working in Georgia, Jessie remains closely connected to Southeast Georgia’s leadership and economic development community and continues to support regional initiatives through strategic partnerships and collaboration.
Jessie stays energized by coaching fitness classes, experimenting in the kitchen, and spending time with her husband and their puppy.
Email:lsegainfo@gmail.com
Phone:(912) 650-3768
Cecilia Russo Turner
Fundraising ConsultantIn 2008, Cecilia Russo Turner founded Cecilia Russo Marketing, LLC to help businesses and organizations increase their visibility locally, nationally, and globally through reputation management, consultation and fundraising strategies.
Throughout her 27-year career, Cecilia has managed and participated in philanthropic activities, raising millions of dollars for nonprofit charities and civic improvements in communities throughout Savannah and the Lowcountry and Southeast region of our State. CRM’s team provided strategic direction, public relations, and major gift solicitation for the most successful campaign ever held by the Veterans Council of Chatham County: the World War II Memorial, ‘A World Apart,’ erected on historic West River Street and dedicated in November 2010.
Additionally, Cecilia has enjoyed a successful and strong list of small business and corporate clients while also serving as a fundraising consultant and advisor for organizations such as Tour de Georgia, Susan G. Komen Savannah Race for the Cure®, Leadership Southeast Georgia, SAFE Shelter, Inc., American Red Cross of Southeast and Coastal Georgia, Benedictine Military School, Savannah Technical College, and America’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia. Cecilia was the co-founder of Savannah’s Fashion Night Out through Vogue’s Conde Nast in 2013.
She was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year by Junior Achievement of Savannah in 2013 and named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Savannah Chamber of Commerce in 2018. She is a 2016 graduate of Leadership Southeast Georgia and a proud alumna of St. Vincent’s Academy and the University of Georgia.
Cecilia’s most recent civic volunteer efforts include currently serving as the 2021-2022 Campaign Chair for the United Way of the Coastal Empire. She also holds board positions on Horizons Savannah and the Savannah Technical College Foundation. Previously, Cecilia actively served on the boards of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire and Senior Citizens, Inc and Kiwanis Club of Skidaway Island. She is married to Bob Turner, and they have five grandchildren.
Email:info@crussomarketing.com
Phone:912-665-0005