Employee Spotlight: Suzanne Doss

When Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman Account Manager Suzanne Doss participates in this weekend’s Los Angeles Marathon, she’s running for two sentimental causes: The Judy Fund, in support of the Alzheimer’s Association, and her mother, who battled Alzheimer’s.

“I’ve been running since 2012. I did it for fun and to maintain some weight loss,” she shares. “I joined a former colleague’s distanced running team and started participating in events.”

For her 50th birthday, Suzanne ran in the New York Marathon for the benefit of the Alzheimer’s Association. Her mother had recently been diagnosed, so the cause became more personal. She successfully completed the full marathon.

Suzanne later opted to start her own Los Angeles-based running team. She approached Managing Director Todd Gelfand with the idea to create a west coast team for The Judy Fund, a family fund established at the Alzheimer’s Association by GRF founder Marshall M. Gelfand in loving memory of his wife.

“Todd supported the idea, 100%, and connected me with the right people. [The Alzheimer’s Association] really took a big leap of faith in me because it was a lot of money to invest in upfront,” she says. “But it ended up being a great success! The first Los Angele team included a lot of [Gelfand, Rennert and Feldman] people and others. We decided to plan for a second year.”

The following year was 2020. Suzanne completed an out-of-state half marathon and then went on to run the 5K of the Los Angeles Marathon, shortly before COVID-19 brought the world to a screeching halt. In 2021, she participated in the Alzheimer’s rendition of the half marathon. Suzanne is eager to hit the sidewalk again in 2022, especially since her clients have continued to keep her busy over the past couple of years.

Her career in business management spans more than 20 years, but Suzanne shares that her initial field of choice was education.

“I was changing majors every five minutes [at Whittier College], but I had always wanted to be a teacher. Growing up, I worked with the younger students and helped them learn,” she says. “I went on to work in education for about 10 years, specifically in Special Education. Even though the kids there needed more help, the job paid less.”

Disillusioned with her paycheck and facing limited opportunities in the field, Suzanne decided to pursue work elsewhere.

“Students with developmental delays are educated in classroom settings in LA, [but] students with severe developmental delays and medical issues aren’t. That was my specialty,” Suzanne says. “My position basically didn’t exist in LA then, so I decided to pivot to working in an office and learned that from scratch. I taught myself to type using a computer game!”

She landed a job at the American Film Institute, coordinating workshops and seminars. A drummer friend referred Suzanne to a business management firm.

“I said, ‘What’s that?’ She said, ‘Accounting.’ I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know about that; I haven’t taken a math course in years. I don’t know if that’s for me.’ She said, ‘No, no, it’s okay! They want people who are green to come in and learn their way of doing things.’ So I joined the firm in 1996.”

Suzanne excelled as an Assistant, progressing up to the level of Junior Bookkeeper. She eventually rose to the Account Manager level after joining Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman via a merger in 2003.

When hiring Bookkeepers for her team, Suzanne emphasizes soft skills over work experience. She evaluates candidates on their ability to multitask and stay organized – both critical for day-to-day success in business management.

“In this role, we may need to jump off something and quickly move on to the next thing, while also balancing other priorities and to-dos. You might think your day will look one way, but then you’re fielding requests all day,” she says. “We pivot on a dime, while still keeping things neat and organized.”

Suzanne shares that she welcomes all candidates who are looking to learn, and she supports team members with their growth aspirations.

“After all, it’s paid off for me. I want to give the same opportunities that people gave me through the years,” Suzanne acknowledges. “I’ll throw in teachable moments and answer any questions; I won’t finger-point or get mad or mean. I think communication is key for team success; I just ask that you keep me in the loop on issues, so now we can all learn. I’m still learning new things and I’ve been here over 18 years!”

She credits the Firm’s work environment for such an impressive tenure.

“Todd Gelfand prioritizes maintaining a pleasant place to work, and I think it’s everything,” she says. “I feel valued and I feel like my input really matters here. I feel there’s a sense of community, and I try to instill that with my team, too.”

When Suzanne’s mom was diagnosed, it turned Suzanne’s world upside down. She remembers that Managing Directors Todd, Jeff Gillman, and Tyson Beem helped ease her burden.

“When Mom got sick, [GRF] offered me the flexibility I needed to be with her,“ Suzanne recalls. “[They] could not have been more supportive, and that has stayed with me.”

In the age of COVID-19, Suzanne reconnected with friends over socially distant Wine Fridays. In addition to supporting the Alzheimer’s Association and The Judy Fund, Suzanne’s other altruistic activities include running in support of the ASPCA in Los Angeles, donating to charities, sponsoring overseas children in need, and advocating for Planned Parenthood.

“Save the planet, save the animals, and cure Alzheimer’s!”

The “Employee Spotlight” series introduces our firm’s diverse, talented professionals and highlights their notable extracurriculars. We hope their stories provide a more personal perspective of life at Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman.