Civilian Leadership Award Recipient

Susan Marenoff-Zausner was named President of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on January 24, 2011 making her the first woman in the 30-year history of the institution to hold the position.

Marenoff-Zausner had served as Executive Director of the Intrepid Museum since 2005 and was Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President for Business Development from 2003-2005. During her tenure, she has transformed the Intrepid Museum into a nationally recognized cultural and educational institution that now hosts more than one million visitors per year. Marenoff-Zausner has led the development of exhibits and educational programs, as well as cultivated strategic marketing partnerships and developed the Museum’s donor and membership base.

Marenoff-Zausner was instrumental in the awarding of NASA’s Space Shuttle Enterprise to the Museum, a historic decision announced on April 12, 2011. Just over one year later, on April 27, 2012, Enterprise arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and traveled via barge up the Hudson River, arriving at the Museum on June 6, 2012. The Space Shuttle Pavilion opened to the public on July 19, 2012. In October 2012, when Hurricane Sandy devastated the region and heavily damaged the Museum, Marenoff-Zausner led the Museum’s recovery by rebuilding and reopening in merely 8 weeks.

Prior to joining the Intrepid Museum, Marenoff-Zausner was General Manager of the New York Power of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA). Under her leadership, WUSA launched New York’s first professional women’s soccer team in less than four months, in the most highly competitive and sought after market in the sport, bringing the finest professional talent to the region.

Marenoff-Zausner also served as Director of Global Marketing at the Women’s Tennis Association Tour (WTA), where she raised Tour credibility and player loyalty through high-impact branding campaigns and negotiating one of the largest sponsorships in the history of women’s sports.

Prior to the WTA Tour, Marenoff-Zausner was the New York/New Jersey Venue Director for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, directing the entire operation in the most critical market for the largest women’s team sporting event in history. Early in her career, she was a top revenue producer at Madison Square Garden and became the youngest female to be named Vice President of the world’s most famous arena, up until that time.

In 2011 Marenoff-Zausner was named to the Board of NYC & Company, the Official Tourism, Marketing and Partnership Organization in New York City. Additionally, Marenoff-Zausner currently serves on the board of the JCC on the Palisades, as well as on their membership, marketing and nominating committees, and she also serves on the board of SCI, an initiative to provide underserved children with scholarships enabling them to attend sleep-away camps. She previously served on the board as a founding member of WISE, Women in Sports and Events.

Marenoff-Zausner resides in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.