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Sue Daniels inding a way to have a positive influence in people's lives has been a longterm career goal for Sue Daniels. As the president and CEO of Rochester Hills-based Leader Dogs for the Blind, Daniels is able to help hundreds of blind and visually impaired people each year. "Growing up, I wanted to do something that would be helpful to people. In high school, I volunteered at a hospital, but I decided while I have a lot of admiration for that work, it wasn't for me," she said. "I considered teaching, then decided to try accounting, but my longterm goal wasn't to spend my career in the CPA field with a firm. I wanted to work with an organization that made a difference in people's lives." Daniels joined Leader Dogs for the Blind in 2004, after 10 years of working for the Southeastern Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross. In 2011, she was promoted from CFO to CEO and president of Leader Dogs. The same year, Daniels was a recipient of the 2011 Crain's Detroit Business CFO Award for the non-profit sector. Since her promotion, Daniels has focused on several key initiatives for Leader Dogs, including updating the organization's strategic plan for the next three years, establishing a separate foundation to support the organization, implementing standards for client instruction and future Leader Dogs, and increasing the amount of human/dog interaction time for all dogs in training. Founded in 1939, Leader Dogs for the Blind's primary work is providing leader dogs to people who are blind or visually impaired. "The process to make that happen is pretty complicated," Daniels said. "We have a full vet clinic and four vet techs. And the success rate of dogs who graduate and can become leader dogs is a little over 50 percent."
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Serving roughly 220 clients annually, the organization needs about 450 dogs to be in the process each year. "They are serving as the eyes for people who can't see or have very limited vision, and they make life and death decisions on a daily basis for people," Daniels said of the dogs that graduate the program. "The person who is paired with the dog also has to be trained on how to work with the dog and give commands." Purebred labrador retrievers are the most common dogs in training, which start the process with a volunteer family for their first year. The dogs then train certified trainers at Leader Dogs for the Blind for four to six months, and are paired with clients. Canines not making the cut are often put into another line of service or available for adoption. "If a dog is distracted by squirrels, then they might not work out, but that doesn't preclude them from other kids of work," Daniels said. "We have 21 dogs in courthouses for children or people who are going to testify. The dogs have a very calming effect. If a dog is distracted by a squirrel, it doesn't matter in a courthouse setting." While Daniels said she doesn't have a dog of her own due to her husband's allergies, she gets her fair share of puppy time at the office, which allows team members to bring their own dogs to work. Outside of work, Daniels said she enjoys reading, hiking and biking. "I don't watch TV at all, other than professional football," she said. "I'm a big football fan."
Story: Kevin Elliott
Photo: Laurie Tennent