A Master Inventor and Inspiration to Others

A testament to progress and diverse thinking

Susan started as an entry-level programmer and was quickly drawn to new challenges that prompted out-of-the-box thinking and building on continuous improvement.

“I loved facing a new project, working with others to solve problems, then leveraging those insights on the next one, and the one after that, and so on,” she says. “Bringing together all the initial chaos, risk, and uncertainty, then iterating and collaborating to find solutions, attracted me early on and has served as a focal point throughout my career.”

While she knew Trane Technologies’ designation as a master inventor status was within reach, Susan was still surprised when she learned of the news recently during a one-on-one with her manager. “It was an exciting moment, I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “Being the first is remarkable, and a daunting reflection of how far women have had to come in engineering.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly given her background, Susan’s inspiration for securing patents has always centered around collaborating with others.

“When you’re working together, those creative moments keep building and building until you reach that moment where you can say, I think we have something here!” Susan says. “True collaboration sparks the ideas that have a positive impact on our customers and protects our competitive position in the field.”

Diversity of thought also plays a critical role. “If you only have like-minded thinkers, you simply won’t advance as much,” Susan says. “Significant advantages come from leveraging diverse thinking and diverse backgrounds. That’s when you can really raise the bar.”

Teaching others to innovate

When asked about her advice for the next generation of thinkers, Susan says visibility and exposure must start at a young age. The world can’t afford to wait another 100 years for the next female master inventor.

“If you don’t see something you could be, how would you ever know what the possibilities are?” she explains. “By college you’re likely already on a certain path. That’s why educating elementary school students on STEM careers is so important.”

Susan has helped lead several student tours and other activities over the years in Minnesota – sparking ideas about her own future in the process. “Maybe that’s my second or third act in life – to connect everything I’ve done, back to where I would’ve liked to have started years and years ago.”

And though she may not realize it, Susan’s next act is already in motion after transitioning to an agile coach role for controls and software teams, focusing on operational excellence in the engineering space. She’s now teaching others how to think, behave, and innovate – ultimately chasing exciting new solutions themselves.

“A few years ago, I saw the need to start teaching others how to do what I do so there wouldn’t be a gap,” she says. “I became the teacher, not the doer.”