WCU Stories      September 16, 2024

By Julia Duvall

Western Carolina University alumna Susan Strum has been appointed to WCU’s Board of Trustees.

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors appointed Strum at its Sept. 12 meeting to fill the vacant term left by Kathryn Greeley, who was appointed to the UNC Board of Governors in June.

Strum’s appointment was effective immediately and will go through June 30, 2025.

 “The appointment of WCU alumna Susan Strum to WCU’s Board of Trustees is welcome news,” WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown said. “Susan's past experience as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences advisory board and her extensive commitment to engagement with the university will be a great benefit to this group. I am thrilled to welcome her to our Board of Trustees.”

A native of Franklin, Strum graduated from WCU in 1987 with bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry. She graduated from Wake Forest University in 1990 with a master’s in biochemistry.

“I am thrilled to be on the WCU Board of Trustees. Growing up in Franklin, I have several family members and friends that are also alumni, so I am very excited to serve in this role and learn all about the wonderful things going on at Western,” Strum said. “My husband and I both feel strongly that education is very important in an individual’s life. I see the difference Western makes in our region.”

Strum began her professional career in academic research at Wake Forest University and Duke University. She successfully worked as a biochemist conducting pharmaceutical research for more than 18 years at GlaxoSmithKline to develop medicines.

Strum has volunteered to mentor “Women in Science” students from the UNC System as well as high school students and teachers interested in pharmaceutical research. Through Glaxo’s financial support, Strum was able to spend hours preparing and executing hands-on lessons in science for elementary children in her community.

Strum is currently head of Assay Development at Sapere Bio, Inc. in Research Triangle Park, where she has worked for the past nine years.

Strum served as chair of WCU’s College of Arts and Sciences advancement council from 2015-2019. Strum and her husband Jay Strum, also an alumnus of WCU, established an endowed scholarship in the School of Arts and Sciences for students from the Western North Carolina region that need financial assistance to achieve their educational goals.

To further financially support the Biology Department, the Strums sponsored a classroom in the Apodaca Science Building.

“I have been working in the field of research for in pharmaceuticals for drug discovery for most of my career and I give a lot of credit to Western and the faculty, especially in the biology and chemistry departments,” Strum said. “My time at Western was just absolutely wonderful and I'm very proud that the university seems to have the same culture and uniqueness about it. Having accessible faculty and forming good relationships is what led me to continue my education and find my career path.”