From Corporate America to the Stage: Susan Lieu

Join us at The Riveter Capitol Hill for the 2nd event of our Seattle Female Founders series! Rebecca Lovell of Create33 will host a fireside chat with Susan Lieu – performing artist, activist, entrepreneur and creator of “140 LBS“. The evening will begin with a short onscreen excerpt from 140 LBS, followed by a discussion exploring Susan’s journey from corporate America to the grand stage of Benaroya Hall. Hear about the highs and lows, best practices and key learnings from Susan’s personal stories. 

We aim to inspire, educate and unite people to support female entrepreneurs!

About Susan Lieu

Susan Lieu is a Vietnamese-American playwright, solo performer and activist whose parents are Vietnamese refugee nail salon workers.  Her first theatrical solo show,  “140 LBS: HOW BEAUTY KILLED MY MOTHER” it is the unfortunate true story of how Susan’s mother died from plastic surgery malpractice when Susan was 11 years old.  

In February 2019, Lieu held the world premiere of 140 LBS, directed by Sara Porkalob, at Theatre Off Jackson with a sold-out 9 show run.  In May 2019, Lieu made her San Francisco debut with a sold-out 7 show run in partnership with CAAMFest and The Marsh.  She is currently on a 5-City West Coast Tour.  Her work has been showcased with The Moth at Benaroya Hall, On the Boards, RISK!, Bumbershoot, LitCrawl and The World Economic Forum.  She has been profiled on KUOW 94.9, KING5 News, The Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, The Seattle Channel, ABC7 News, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Press Democrat.  Lieu will bring 140 LBS back to Seattle for an encore performance July 2019 and has plans for a national tour.   

In addition, Lieu collaborated with The Seattle Public Library and Book-It Theatre, to adapt and play the main character of The Best We Could Do, a graphic novel on the Vietnamese refugee experience.

Lieu has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from Yale and is the co-founder of Socola Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolate company in San Francisco.  
@susanlieu
http://www.susanlieu.me 

Rebecca Lovell, Director, Create33

With more than 20 years of management and operating experience, and over a dozen years running and supporting startups in Seattle, Rebecca currently serves as Director at Create33, a founder center conceived by Madrona Venture Group. She was previously Director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, having progressed through leadership roles in the office, including serving as the City’s first Startup Advocate. Prior to joining the City, she was GeekWire’s first Chief Business Officer, Executive Director of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network, and Program Director of the Alliance of Angels. Having received her MBA from the UW Foster school of business in 2006, she has served on their Employer Advisory Board since 2008, and is currently an instructor in entrepreneurship for their Technology Management MBA Program. She has been a committed Techstars mentor since their Seattle launch in 2010, is the Board Chair for the national Center of American Entrepreneurship, and was recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal as one of the top 100 women in tech and as “Do Gooder of the Year.” Rebecca is endlessly devoted to entrepreneurship and karaoke.