Insights Suzanne Page Uprooting, replanting, and blooming again
In October 2024, the Salk Institute named Suzanne Page as its new Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Page is a lawyer, a businesswoman, and a research executive. Before all that, she was a girl from Indiana.
“It was just your typical small-town Midwest upbringing where people knew each other. You would stay outside with the other kids until the streetlights came on—it was one of those neighborhoods.”
Page is the daughter of Norwegian immigrants, who, according to Page, took a typical route into the US through Minnesota before finally settling in Indiana. Her childhood was marked by activity and adventure, with time spent in nature, rising through the ranks of her Girl Scout troop, or on the court perfecting her basketball shot.
Page has a strong background in key areas for Salk: research operations, finance, and legal in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. From studying finance and law at Indiana University and traveling the world as a corporate lawyer to leading executive operations at scientific institutes in Miami, Vail, and San Diego—she’s done it all.
Along the way, Page has cultivated a one-of-a-kind skill set in optimizing resources and helping organizations reach their goals. Now at Salk, her unique perspective will help the Institute’s scientists do what they do best: make groundbreaking discoveries across the life sciences. As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, Page leads administrative initiatives at Salk.
“I have enjoyed meeting with faculty one-on-one, learning about their science and touring their labs. Understanding what they do and how they do it is important to my success in fostering their science. We’re here for the labs, and we have shared goals. When you have shared goals, strategizing and optimizing is easier for everyone.”
–Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Suzanne Page
Following work and family
After law school, Page left Indiana and landed at Getty Images, where she served as senior vice president and general counsel for the world’s leading provider of visual media. At Getty, she spent a lot of time acquiring other companies in the industry around the world and raising funds to make that happen.
Following Getty Images was Microsoft, where she served as the platform’s business manager, handling licenses and “buy versus build” strategic decisions. Following this amazing opportunity, she was soon recruited by the University of Miami to create a new division in the School of Medicine, which also placed her closer to her family. She excelled quickly, taking a leadership role for all the university’s campuses and participating in the purchase and integration of a new hospital, which became the top National Institutes of Health-funded organization in the state.
Page’s dealmaking and relationship-building brought her to her next opportunity: working with her university colleagues to build a biotechnology company that spun out of the university, Longeveron, Inc.
“The company founders trusted me to establish this biotechnology company from the ground up, which included building out research and development and manufacturing facilities, as well as leading clinical trials, finance, legal, and everything that goes with running a new business,” explains Page. “I was humbled that the founder, one of my investigators from the university, selected me and believed in me to establish and help manage his company, which eventually went public.”
After 12 action-packed years in Miami, Page started a position as vice president of the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail. This also enabled Page, a lifetime skier and Colorado vacationer, to live closer to her sister and mother.
Like Salk, Steadman Philippon had unique needs related to its small campus and intimate atmosphere. Page managed its federal grants, clinical trials, and facilities, inadvertently shaping her skill set into a perfect match for Salk.
From slopes to surf
Page’s move to Salk was motivated by the opportunity to help advance some of the world’s best science.
“I knew immediately. My husband said I manifested this job,” Page laughs. “There’s a certain energy at Salk. I saw this framed handwritten letter from Francis Crick to his son, and I just thought this is such a special place. I am proud to be part of Salk and its amazing community.”
By the time she arrived at the Institute, Page had more than 20 years of experience working with scientists. She says staying informed about the research has been key to supporting its development.
Many dreams
Page’s move to Salk was motivated by the opportunity to help advance some of the world’s best science.
Outside of work, Page’s family takes precedence. She beams when she talks about them—especially her daughter, who is in her final year of college in Boulder, Colorado, studying business and data analytics. Her family also loves to travel, prioritizing trips that pull them outdoors for adventures like skiing or kayaking.
Page’s work at Salk not only fulfills her dream but will fulfill many dreams as she helps the Institute’s scientists get the resources and infrastructure they need to bring their ideas to life.
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