Susan Heiserman

Susan Heiserman is a musician with over 18 years of experience as an arts nonprofit professional. After attending public schools and actively participating in choirs and piano lessons as a child, she obtained a Bachelor of Music Education/Music Therapy degree from Wartburg College in Iowa. She then continued to graduate school to pursue performance, receiving a Master of Music in Accompanying/Coaching from East Carolina University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano & Coaching from the University of Minnesota.

Susan landed in Chicago and worked as a freelance accompanist/vocal coach while gaining experience in arts nonprofit management and working her way up to become Artistic/Managing Director of PianoForte Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of the piano. Following a relocation to North Carolina, Susan served as Executive Director of the North Carolina Presenters Consortium, a statewide performing arts presenting association, for seven years.

Susan joined NCMEA as Executive Director in 2021 and she enjoys that the role combines her musical background with her nonprofit management experience. She is a fierce advocate for music and arts education and believes that music educators are some of the best people she’s ever met.

Susan lives in Cary, NC with her husband and daughter and she enjoys serving her local arts community in board and volunteer roles for organizations such as the Cary-Apex Youth Choir and the Town of Cary Cultural Arts Committee. In her free time, she loves to cook and eat good food, travel, and cheer on her daughter at dance competitions.