Quick Facts
Biography
Susan Wolf Turnbull (born November 2, 1952) is an American political and community activist who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in the Maryland gubernatorial election, 2018 alongside candidate for governor Ben Jealous. Previously, she served as chair of the Maryland Democratic Party and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Career
Turnbull was a Member, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life Board of Directors from 2008 to 2012. On behalf of Hillel, she was the featured speaker at numerous Campus Hillel communities across the country on political activism 2004–2008.
Turnbull was an officer and board member of the Jewish Social Service Agency of Washington, DC Board of Directors 1984–2012. Currently, Turnbull serves on the board of the University of Maryland Institute for Citizenship and Politics and the board of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, D.C.She also served as chair of Jewish Women International from 2009 to 2013 and has been a member of the Council of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations since 2009.
From 1992 to 2011,Turnbull was a member of the Democratic National Committee serving as vice chair from 2005 to 2009 and deputy chair from 2003 to 2005.Previously she was the chair of both the DNC Women’s Caucus and DNC Women’s Leadership Forum.From 2009 to 2011 Turnbull chaired the Maryland Democratic Party and led the Maryland Democrats to a reelection victories for incumbent governor Martin O’Malley and Senator Barbara Mikulski. During her tenure on the DNC, Turnbull was a regular political commentator on MSNBC and Fox News from 1998 to 2010 and was also a guest on over 500 radio shows during this period. She was a principal speaker at events in more than 35 states and several foreign countries on behalf of the Democratic National Committee and three Presidential campaigns.
A graduate of the University of Maryland with a M.S. in urban studies, the University of Cincinnati with a B.S. in community services and urban affairs and Marymount University with a B.A. in interior design, since 2007, Turnbull has compiled a grants information newsletter for several members of Congress that is distributed to their constituents every month.She previously served as the chair of the Montgomery County Maryland Board of Zoning Appeals, a senior-level Congressional staffer and Washington representative for a consortium of governmental agencies from Toledo, Ohio.
On November 29, 2017, Ben Jealous, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Maryland governor in the 2018 election, announced the selection of Turnbull as his running mate.
Personal life
Turnbull lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband Bruce, an attorney. They have two adult sons.
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