Meet our Founder, Susan Asiyanbi
Susan Asiyanbi
Susan Asiyanbi is a nationally recognized executive advisor and operator with more than two decades of cross-sector leadership. She is known for her ability to help CEOs and senior teams navigate complexity, accelerate alignment, and strengthen the systems and relationships that drive performance.
Before founding The Olori Network, Susan served as Chief Operating Officer of Teach For America, where, in successive executive roles, she led operations across 51 regions and stewarded the work of more than 2,000 staff. It was there that she discovered a unique ability to build high-performance teams capable of driving results while upholding a high bar for culture — even amid significant organizational change.
Earlier in her career, Susan held strategic and operational roles at Sears Holdings Corporation and Boston Consulting Group, building the analytical and adaptive foundations that shape her work with executive teams today.
In founding The Olori Network, Susan brought together everything she learned: that strategy and culture must move together; that executive teams don’t just need to move fast, they need to move together; and that leadership is ultimately about relationships, trust, and clarity in action. She lives in Chicago with her family.
Board & Civic Leadership
Member, Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO)
Member, CHIEF
Member, Aspen Global Leadership Network
Member, Economic Club of Chicago
Board Member, Chicago Children’s Museum
Active advisor to leaders across business, philanthropy, and civic impact sectors
Awards & Recognition
Women Presidents’ Organization Entrepreneurial Women of Impact Award (2025)
Stevie® Award for Women in Business (2025)
Education
MBA, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
M.A., Education Administration & Supervision, St. Peter’s University
B.A., Williams College
“If anyone can empower leadership teams to realize their best, it is Susan Asiyanbi and The Olori Network.
I have rarely met a consultant with her grasp of operations, strategy, and the dynamics that get in the way of leadership teams. Susan has spent years honing her natural gifts into a powerful approach to helping teams learn, develop, and change so they can operate at their best.”
Diana McClain Smith
Founding partner of Action Design and a Partner at the Monitor Group