Susan Ruzenski, executive director of Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC), was named to Long Island Business News’ Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business at a recent gala awards dinner at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. Launched in 2000, the award recognizes the significant contributions of women professionals throughout Long Island. Awardees are selected by a panel of business and community representatives based on the nominee’s leadership acumen, mentoring and community involvement.
Ruzenski has been with HKNC for more than 35 years, serving as its executive director since 2014. Operated by Helen Keller Services for the Blind (HKSB) and headquartered in Sands Point, with 11 regional offices across the U.S., HKNC is the only comprehensive national program that provides information, referral, support and training exclusively to youths and adults who are deaf-blind.
“Susan has dedicated her adult life to working and advocating with and for people who are deaf-blind,” noted HKSB President and CEO Thomas Edwards. “She possesses the experience, skills and passion to carry out our mandate of enabling each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice. Everyone at HKSB and HKNC joins me in congratulating Susan on receiving this well-deserved honor and recognition.”
Initially serving as supervisor of the residential program at HKNC, Ruzenski advanced over the next several decades, most recently serving as director of direct services before being named executive director. Along the way she found time and ways to offer her expertise to the greater community outside HKNC, including volunteer work. A tireless advocate for inclusiveness, Ruzenski is dedicated to making sure that more leadership positions within HKNC itself go to deaf-blind people. She is currently mentoring the organization’s associate executive director, who is deaf-blind, so that he can learn every aspect of HKNC and become involved with the organization’s growth and priorities.
A resident of Stony Brook, Ruzenski is a Doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University in adult learning and leadership; holds a Bachelor of Arts in special education from Dowling College and holds a Master of Arts in deaf education from New York University.
With 129 full-time employees and 38 part-time employees, HKNC provides vocational rehabilitation services to youths and adults who are deaf-blind, offers support and learning opportunities to professionals and family members, conducts research and maintains a national registry of persons who are deaf-blind and partners with other agencies across the U.S. to build their capacity to work with individuals who are deaf-blind. For more information go to www.hknc.org.
