“I can’t think of many times in my career when I haven’t drawn on something I learned at Shenandoah,” said Susan K. Kirkland ’88. “What I gained there became part of how I teach, how I make music and, in many ways, how I approach my work.”
Kirkland serves on the Shenandoah University Alumni Association Board of Directors and chairs its Admissions Committee. She especially enjoys working on ways for alumni to connect with prospective students and families and to share their own Shenandoah experiences.
Kirkland earned a Bachelor of Music Therapy degree from Shenandoah University and later a Master of Music in Voice Performance at UNCG. She spent 20 years with the New Providence School District in New Jersey, first as a vocal and choral music teacher and later as Department Head of Music and Performing Arts. Earlier in her career, she taught special education in Durham, North Carolina.
She has also performed professionally with the New York City Opera National Company, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, Light Opera of New Jersey and other New York-area and regional companies.
Kirkland currently directs grant-funded choral ensembles for older adults, bringing together her background in music therapy, education, and performance.
Susan and her husband, Joe Heary ’85, ’88, live in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.