Susan Smith Kuczmarski, Ed.D., is an educator, lecturer, and authority on the dynamics of family culture. Trained as a social scientist, Dr. Kuczmarski has done extensive research on how children learn social skills and how adolescents become leaders. During the course of a career spanning 30 years, she has developed and conducted workshops and programs for educators, parents, and teenagers, including inter-school workshops on coping with the demands of greater responsibility for younger teens, leadership-building retreats for high school teens, and workshops and seminars devoted to helping college teens sort through their values and future directions. She holds a Doctorate in Education from Columbia University in New York City, where she was named an International Fellow.

Dr. Kuczmarski has taught at seven universities, worked in three nonprofit educational organizations, including the United Nations, and co-founded an innovation consulting firm, Kuczmarski & Associates, in Chicago. She holds two additional master's degrees in sociology and education from Columbia University, and is the author of three additional books, Apples Are Square: Thinking Differently About Leadership, published by Kaplan Publishing in 2007, The Family Bond: Inspiring Tips for Creating a Closer Family, published by McGraw Hill in 2000, and Values-Based Leadership, published by Prentice Hall in l995. Both parenting books received the prestigious “Seal of Approval” award from the National Parenting Center. She has been listed in Who's Who in the World for the past twelve years, and was recently selected for inclusion in Outstanding People of the 21st Century, 500 Leaders of World Influence, 2000 Outstanding Writers of the 20th Century, and Great Minds of the 21st Century. Dr. Kuczmarski is known for her interactive and creative teaching style, cutting-edge material, and warmth and connection with her audience. She appears regularly on radio and television programs devoted to issues of the contemporary family. She lives in Chicago with her husband and partner in familymaking, Tom, and their three sons.