A LABORER OF LOVE

Courtney Susman-Frye

Service Insight Coordinator, Mountaineer Food Bank and Board Member, West Virginia Nonprofit Association

SUPERPOWER: Instilling confidence in others

Growing up in Greenbrier County, Courtney Susman-Frye was fortunate to be involved in Greenbrier Valley Theatre. “I felt like I had an outlet, an avenue,” she says. “I was learning life skills and problem-solving through theater. It made a huge impression on me and helped build confidence.”

She pursued theater as a career so she could instill self-confidence in others. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Marshall University and a master’s from The University of Southern Mississippi, she returned home. “Everything aligned perfectly, and I was able to step in as education director at Greenbrier Valley Theatre.”

But after about nine years, Susman-Frye switched career goals. “Theater is a labor of love, but after a while you start to miss your evenings and all those things,” she says. “I took the things I loved about my job and looked for that in my next role.”

An opportunity opened at Generation WV, helping software developers with training in all aspects of career preparation. “It was a lot of storytelling and helping students speak about themselves in a way they were proud of and to make employers feel confident in their abilities,” she says. “Life is hard enough as it is. If I can make life a little easier for someone, I’m going to try.”

She now works for Mountaineer Food Bank as service insight coordinator, traveling the state and training food pantries on the use of an intake app. “Every food pantry is different, and I love meeting everyone where they are so they can serve their neighbors the best they can.”

Susman-Frye sits on the board of the West Virginia Nonprofit Association. She and her husband, Bill Frye, and her stepdaughter Mallory continue to live in Greenbrier County, where Mallory is involved in theater and band.

WRITTEN BY JULIE PERINE

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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.