Susan Brehm

Susan Brehm is the Regional Administrator of EDA’s Chicago and Philadelphia Regional Offices. She leads teams of economic development, engineering, and environmental professionals in originating, shaping, and managing the agency’s investments to support the creation of higher-skill, higher-wage jobs and to encourage private investment, innovation, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness throughout the Great Lakes and Northeast regions. Susan previously served as Regional Counsel.

Prior to her federal service, Susan was an associate with Sidley Austin LLP, where she advised local governments and institutional nonprofits on land use and other property matters and litigated complex class actions. She also had a robust pro bono practice, successfully representing asylees, veterans, and incarcerated individuals. She earned a law degree at the University of California – Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in English literature at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. In the years between earning her degrees, Susan launched a small business providing editorial services to publishers.