Susan Fenters Lerch is an executive in transition. After 13 years with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan, she has been named president and CEO of the newly formed Autism Alliance of Michigan.

“It’s a collaborative effort, founded by two parents of autistic children and a researcher from Wayne State,” Lerch said. She said the organization’s first task would be to look at all the services and assessments offered and research about autism being done in Michigan and looking for areas where needs aren’t being met.

“We want to be a place where people can go to get info about the variety of services and research out there,” Lerch said. “We want to be a hub of information, and ultimately, get into a place where we’re able to fill the gaps where there are issues and a lack of available services.”

Before being named head of the Autism Alliance, Lerch spent 13 years with Make-A-Wish, and before that, she worked for the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan for 13 years.

“I like to joke that 13 years is my limit,” Lerch said.

Lerch said she worked with the Hemophilia Foundation during a tough time— when AIDS was devastating the community of those with hereditary blood disorders. However, Lerch said it felt good to be involved in the process of “building an organization and leaving it in a stronger place.”

She said she hopes she’s done the same thing for Make-A-Wish during here time there. When she started with Make-A-Wish, it was based in Lansing, and was granting 150 wishes per year to children with life-threatening illnesses. Later, the headquarters was moved to Ann Arbor, and in 2009, the foundation granted more than 440 wishes.

Lerch said she is grateful to have witnessed some of the “extraordinary” wishes that the foundation helped come true during her time with Make-A-Wish, from reuniting a Cambodian-American boy with his grandmother to seeing a whole community turn out for a parade in honor of a child’s wish to be a princess for a day.

“I loved Make-A-Wish and the mission,” Lerch said. She said being part of granting a wish to seriously ill children and their families is “really an extraordinary feeling, bringing joy to the family and receiving it in return.”

Lerch said she wasn’t job hunting and had no intention of leaving Make-A-Wish when she was approached by a friend who was employed by a headhunting firm. The friend asked her to consider applying for the position of president with the newly forming autism organization.

Lerch said the more she learned about the community of children, adults and families dealing with autism in the state, the more convinced she was that heading the new alliance was a challenge she needed to take on. She said it came to a head when she visited a center in Novi and learned that early intervention can make a huge difference in a child’s development.

“And yet insurance, in some cases, provides coverage for diagnosis but there’s no coverage for treatment,” Lerch said. “It’s so expensive, it can be nearly $50,000 a year for some of the therapies that can make such a difference. One of the biggest things I want to focus on is finding support for these kids and their families to get appropriate therapies. You hear about bake sales to pay for the kids’ therapy and it’s heartbreaking, so wrong to me.”

The alliance is in the early start-up stage, and Lerch didn’t have an office or an official phone line when she was interviewed earlier this month. And yet, the group has already gotten several organizations in Wayne County — including the Henry Ford Health System — to agree to partner with the autism organization.

“Our goal is to bring these various entities together so that ... we have a connection with one another,” Lerch said. “We can share information and resources and find out who’s doing what really, really well. I really believe that doing something collaborative and working together is difficult because a lot of organizations and individuals have a lot of ‘turf.’ But we want to do what’s in the best interest of the children, adults and families facing autism.”

Lerch said she has been interested in and involved in the not-for-profit sector almost from the beginning of her career.

“If I can be a part of bringing people together to make a positive difference, that’s what I want to do. I’m thrilled about what I’m doing. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

Background

Age: 52.

Education: B.A. in journalism/PR/communications from Central Michigan University.

Family: Dan Lerch, my wonderful and supportive spouse of nearly 30 years; our daughter, Jenna; our future son-in-law, Tim Wicks; our son, Kiel.

Residence: Ann Arbor.

Business Insights

Best business decision: Encouraging the staff team to understand and explore their unique abilities, and placing individuals in positions where they have the opportunity to bloom professionally (and personally), providing wonderful business results.

Worst business decision: Maintaining a facility in Lansing, inconvenient to the majority of our of constituents.

Best way to keep a competitive edge: Envision possibilities!

Personal hero: My grandmother.

How do you motivate people? Listen and engage in genuine relationships; create a joyful, flexible environment; offer encouragement and treat people with respect; expect excellence rather than perfection; have fun and keep a sense of humor.

What advice would you give to yourself in college? Don’t sweat the small stuff …

Words that best describes you: Imaginative, entrepreneurial and passionate.

First Web site you check in the morning: www.wunderground.com (local weather).

Confessions

What keeps you up at night? Literally: our snoring pugs! At present, thinking through opportunities and challenge with so much to learn in my new position.

Pet peeve: A “cookie cutter” approach to issues and challenges, and satisfaction with mediocrity.

Guilty pleasure: Dogs - love them! At one point, we had six rescue dogs.

First job: I worked in a plant shop in Romeo, Mich. (and used to have a green thumb!).

First choice for a new career: I’m committed to the not-for-profit sector and beginning a new adventure developing the Autism Alliance of Michigan.

Treasures

Favorite cause: Advocacy for children … Autism Alliance of Michigan; Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan’s Camp Bold Eagle; Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan, Pioneer Theater Guild.

Favorite book: “Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni.

Favorite movie: “Mary Poppins.”

Favorite hobby: Reading novels (my husband got me a Kindle - very exciting).

Favorite restaurant: Prickly Pear.

LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Facebook.

Typical Saturday: Never typical!

What team do you root for? The underdog.

Wheels: Toyota Camry.

Who would play you in a movie? Cybil Shepherd.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at sarahrigg@yahoo.com.