Sue Van

Sue is the President and CEO of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. She has fiduciary responsibility for the vision, strategic plan and operations of the Foundation. Sue is integrally involved in every aspect of its programs, from creation to implementation and establishing the criteria for success. The Foundation continues Wallace’s practice of providing risk capital for innovative initiatives through its grant programs. The Translational Research Partnership Program promotes academic translational research based in biomedical engineering. By implementing industry best practices, this process accelerates the translation of promising university innovations into practical advances that improve patient care. The Biomedical Societies Program supports leading medical societies to bring the latest education and standards of care to resource-limited countries. The Asian-American Pacific Islander Program focuses on building a consortium among organizations to establish one cohesive community to promote collaboration and partnership in civic engagement and health disparities. Prior to establishing the Foundation in 1999, Sue was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Coulter Corporation, responsible for the company’s long term strategy, as well as its financial and legal affairs. Coulter was the leader in global diagnostics that created and built the market for automated hematology which made blood cell testing affordable and accessible for the world. Sue converted leasing from a domestic financing tool to a global marketing strategy that insured market dominance. She negotiated the acquisition of the first ever leveraged buyout of a Japanese company by a foreign entity. Sue was born in Shanghai, China, and immigrated to the United States at the age of five. She has a B.A. in Political Science from American University, and M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University.