Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Board Member Susan DiMickele believes everything happens for a reason. Eight years ago, she was at the height of her career in private practice, thriving as a partner at Squire Patton Boggs and leading a practice group. As a board member of National Church Residences, she appreciated the nonprofit’s mission, but her father’s end-of-life journey galvanized the cause for her.
“I saw how hard it was for older adults with limited resources to end life well and receive the care, services, and dignity they’re entitled to,” she said. “And so, I really became passionate about the mission of National Church Residences.”
When National Church Residences CEO Mark Ricketts presented an opportunity to join the nonprofit’s leadership team, she decided to take a risk. She left private practice to become the organization’s first-ever general counsel, beginning a new career path culminating in DiMickele assuming the role of president and chief executive officer when Ricketts retired in 2023. While she no longer practices law, she credits her legal training as the basis of her success.
“I use my law degree every day,” she said. “It teaches you how to think and how to solve problems. And it instilled a passion for justice that I’ve always carried with me and certainly have in my role now as CEO. I feel like I get to make a difference, which is an amazing feeling.”
National Church Residences, the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of affordable senior housing, has expanded since DiMickele came on board. Leading the organization combines her Christian faith with her commitment to service. In 2019, building on her dedication to the community, she joined the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation’s Board of Directors, a natural fit for her background. She helped orchestrate the Foundation’s name change and expanded focus to access to justice, and she currently serves on the Budget and Finance Committee.
“It’s been a privilege to steward the resources that come through the Foundation every year,” she said. “To see how those resources are getting used in the community and the lives that we’re able to impact is really powerful.”
Despite reaching the highest levels of success, DiMickele is hardly an island. She credits her investment in relationships as the key to her achievements and continues to lean on mentors who have led her since her earliest days as a young attorney. Some of the advice she received earlier in her career still guides her today, but it’s her personal “why”— to use her God-given talent to make the world a better place — that keeps her grounded and gives her the courage to take risks.
“Sometimes, you don’t know what the future holds, but you have to be true to yourself,” she said. “And when you put all the pieces together, eventually, things will fall into place.”
The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation is the largest funder of civil legal services in Ohio. A gift to the Foundation supports Ohio’s legal aids.