Susan M. Freund
Born 1945 in Northfield, New Jersey to a family with an optical business, Susan M. Freund has lived and worked in Tucson, Arizona for much of her adult life. She has raised her two wonderful sons in Tucson, led a successful career as a lawyer specializing in tax law, and contributed significant time and energy to many charitable organizations in the community. Susan received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1967 followed by a Masters in Business Administration from Monmouth University in Monmouth, New Jersey where she graduated summa cum laude in 1974. She received her J.D. from the University of Arizona in 1977 graduating with distinction and awarded the Order of the Coif. In 1978 she returned to the east coast to attend New York University where she would be awarded her Masters of Laws (in Taxation) in 1978. From 1978 until 1980 she served as an Attorney-Advisor in the United States Tax Court before moving back to Tucson. In the middle of earning her degrees, Susan also worked as a field agent for the Internal Revenue Service and, for five years, as a computer programmer for Bell Laboratories. From 1978 until her retirement in 2010 Susan practiced tax and business law for-profit and nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C. and Tucson. Susan received many accolades and awards during her career. In 1990 she was honored as an outstanding graduate by the University of Arizona College of Law and every single year from 1993 until her retirement she was voted to the Best Lawyers of America. Susan’s dedication to the Tucson community extends beyond her education and career and includes her volunteer work with many local and national organizations. In the past, she had been a board member of many charitable organizations including Angel Charity for Children, Arts for All and the Arizona Center for Disability Law. She was the president of the St. Michael’s Parish Day School parents’ group and a member of the school board. She served as president and member of the board of directors of the Easter Seals Blake Foundation. During her legal career, Susan was chairperson of the Western States Bar Association, a Director Emeritus and past president and treasurer of the Law College Association of the James E. Rogers College of Law, past chairperson of the State Bar of Arizona Tax Section Executive Council, a member of the Southern Arizona Estate Planning Council, a member of the board of directors of the Tucson Tax Breakfast Group, and a member of the Arizona Women’s Law Association. Since retiring in October of 2010 Susan has traveled extensively to locales as varying as Antarctica, Africa, and many US National Parks. Throughout her life Susan has demonstrated caring and commitment to those around her be it through her career or through philanthropic work. When asked, Susan says that the three most important things to her are family, friendships, and health. For her the three intertwine to create a happy and purposeful life.