“When I was named President and General Manager of KVUE Media Group at 35, it raised a few eyebrows. Even people who liked me wondered how I’d be successful without experience in sales.
Let me share one of the biggest keys to my success.
MENTORS!
My leadership at TEGNA knew they were taking a risk by giving me such a big job, but they were about to surround me with some of the best leaders and mentors in the business. People so good… it would be nearly impossible for me to fail.
People like Susan McEldoon, the President and General Manager of KHOU 11, who has mentored me for the past 2.5 years. She was the first female TV GM in Houston and a trailblazer who cares so deeply about the community. She has taught me so much, and I am grateful to be in Houston tonight wishing her a fabulous retirement. Retirement is a loose term since Susan will continue to coach executives. She’s a gift to an executive’s growth. Take my word for it.
So tell me. Have you ever stretched yourself for a big job? Who helped you through the growing process?”
Kristie Gonzales
President and General Manager
KVUE-TV at TEGNA
“During my association with Susan McEldoon, I have been very impressed by her range of management abilities, innovative solutions to challenges and gift for motivating peers to produce their best efforts. Her management and leadership during the catastrophic Harvey flooding is but a small example of her exemplary leadership.
Throughout the years I have counseled with Susan regarding various Boards I serve on to gain her insight and perspective. Her immediate grasp of a situation and consequent advice have proven invaluable. Additionally, Susan has been involved with support and fundraising of the Texas Sentinels Foundation founded by me and my wife. Her involvement and efforts have been invaluable to our Foundation and allowed us to garner additional support through her networking.
Having owned the master RE/MAX of Texas franchise for many years, I have been involved with many community efforts and professional organizations throughout Houston. In so many situations, Susan has been a common denominator in contributing endless hours to organizations to help our community grow and prosper. She is a professional who brings a wealth of experience and sound counsel to the table. Susan is a Leader in every sense of the word.”
Richard James Filip
Founder
Texas Sentinels Foundation
“I have known Susan for over 15 years. During that time, we have been in a formal group of executive women that would meet often to support each other in our career growth. Susan has been instrumental in my changing roles over the last 15 years. With her advice, I moved from being a regional leader in a small advisory firm to a national leader in one of the largest accounting firms in the world. I highly recommend Susan for someone that is need of a coach.”
Loretta Rose Cross, CPA, CIRA, CDBV
Managing Director, Dispute Consulting
Stout Risus Ross, LLC
“I have known Susan for about ten years as part of a small, close-knit group of professional women. She has broad experience in training, leading, and mentoring a diverse group of people. Certain characteristics are important for coaches to be successful. They include great listening ability, analytic ability, and insight into human behavior. Susan possesses all of these, along with a sunny disposition and positive outlook. Her greatest strength is her rapid insight—the ability to quickly assess a situation and provide a variety of creative approaches for addressing it. Her practical outlook and emotional intelligence are among her best assets, and her integrity is above reproach.”
Margaret Kripke
Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
“In all my years working in the TV business, I have yet to meet Susan McEldoon’s equal. Susan ran our Sales Department at WBNS-TV for three years, and she was my direct Manager. Although she was only with us a short time, she left a mark on us that will never be forgotten. To this day, the people who worked with her still say she was one of the best they have ever worked with.
What stands out most about Susan is her positive upbeat nature and leadership skills. She had an open-door policy and was always willing to stop what she was doing to help you come up with a solution to a problem. In a stressful situation, everyone went to Susan as she has a way of making everyone calm. She is smart, strategic, logical, a great communicator and she has a great sense of humor. Susan is always direct but does so with diplomacy. She makes good sound decisions and makes them in a timely manner. She has that special gift of a true leader in that she makes you want to work for her. She is a natural leader, and all of us have tremendous respect for her. In addition to all her great leadership skills, Susan is a lot of fun to be around, and that’s an added plus. You may only meet someone like Susan once in your career.”
Patricia Wise
National Sales Manager
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH
“Susan McEldoon is the type of executive who knows how to get results through people and to have win-win results. I have dealt with her on personnel matters for the television station and she was delightful to work with. Susan makes decisions quickly after getting all the information necessary. She made good choices and the people she hired loved working with her. After Harvey, she rose to the challenge of moving the station to temporary offices and then oversaw the construction of a new station. It was a lot of big decisions that had to be made quickly and Susan got the job done!”
Sue Burnett
President and Founder
Burnett Specialists
“During my time as her Executive News Director at KHOU, Susan was both a partner and a mentor. I learned from her that being a true leader is more than just following a playbook. It’s about knowing your people and connecting with them—setting expectations, giving folks the tools they need to win, being consistent and holding them accountable for results. But also letting them know your part of the team, that you’re invested in their success. Susan exemplifies the tangible value of having a person of strong character at the top—she’s committed to doing the right thing for her company, her employees, and her clients. And no one cheers louder when the team comes together with a smart, strategic, hard-earned victory. That’s a good reputation to have and it’s served her well—and it’s one reason why Susan’s staff is so loyal. Everyone knows Susan had high standards for herself and her company—and no one wants to disappoint her. It’s not a fear thing, it’s a respect thing. And it’s why they’ll go the extra mile for her—in good times and in bad—without hesitation.”
Phillip Bruce
News Director
KTUL-TV Tulsa, OK
“For the last 20+ years, I have worked closely with Susan McEldoon arranging corporate reward trips for her top advertising customers in the media industry. Susan is extremely professional, organized, detailed and an excellent communicator. She truly excels in understanding and accommodating the many and varied requests of a diverse clientele. When we faced challenges, as often happens with international travel, Susan always approached them calmly and was a great partner in finding solutions. Her “can do” attitude and positive outlook make her an absolute pleasure to work with. In addition, she often helped me in navigating the political landscape of companies both large and small, which in turn made me successful in meeting their needs. Susan would no doubt make an exceptional coach for anyone fortunate enough to experience her guidance and leadership.”
Kim Hester
JNR Incorporated