Susan Glisson

Susan M. Glisson (she/her) is a trained historian of social movements, a skilled educator, and an accomplished facilitator with a gifted capacity for community engagement and youth mentorship. As the founding executive director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, Susan has amplified voices often ignored by decision-makers. She has used her positionality as a white Southerner to ground other whites in the truth of our nation’s founding white supremacy in ways that enable them to join in solidarity with their Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) neighbors.  

Born and raised in Evans, GA, Glisson holds two bachelor’s degrees, in religion and in history, a master’s degree in Southern Studies, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the College of William and Mary.  She has been widely recognized for her leadership, including being named a “Boundbreaker: People Who Make a Difference” by NPR in 2016 and a Champion of Justice by the Mississippi Center for Justice. Her motivation is simple: "My mother taught me to leave places better than I found them.”