About Us

The Project Authority is a woman-owned business dedicated to helping leaders run successful projects—so they can run successful businesses.

A note from our founder

Hi, I’m Susan Vaughn.

I love helping people fuel better results by running effective projects.

Early in my career, I gravitated toward project management. It was the perfect combination of technical and personal. I gained over a decade of experience in project management at a large accounting/systems consulting firm. The next step up was to become a partner. I would have been the first female in this role.

But I looked up and saw that everyone above me traveled a lot. They were frequently away from their kids. As a new mom, I knew this wouldn’t work for my family.

I started The Project Authority to do what I love while maintaining a work-life balance. Since then, I’ve worked with hundreds of leaders to improve their project management—and I was there for my two daughters as they grew into adults.

With 33 years of experience, I’ve seen all types of challenges, from complex IT projects to large-scale organizational changes. I enjoy solving complicated problems and making personal connections along the way.

My team is here to help you improve client satisfaction, retain top talent, and improve your bottom line. If your organization needs project management support, get in touch, and we’ll create a custom plan just for you.

Fun Facts

Indiana University Alum with both daughters going to IU (class of 2022 and 2025)

Seen favorite band, Barenaked Ladies, over 30 times (including on the inaugural Chips & Dips cruise)

Jack Russell Terrier mom

Loves to Travel

Been to all 50 states

Been to over 25 countries

Empty nester and loving it

Addicted to [solidcore] workouts

Mentor for the next generation of women in STEM leaders

Professional Credentials

Susan’s Experience

(For you diehard PMBOK people out there…)

Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) — Project Management Institute

Certified Trainer - Project Management Institute

Project Management Curriculum Creator — Purdue University’s Engineering Professional Education department

Board member and former president — Women & Hi Tech (An organization committed to encouraging women in STEM leaders)

Project Management Instructor — Purdue University’s Engineering Professional Education department

Training Project Manager — FirstTuesday™ project (responsible for creating a statewide voter registration and election system for the States of Indiana and Virginia)

“Susan has been an amazing resource in helping us develop such an important competency in our organization. Her unique approach to delivering just right and just in time project management has aligned well to our staff’s schedule and demands and exceeded our expectations.”

 

Gary deCastro
 Managing Director of the Eligibility Center, NCAA

“Susan Vaughn has been working as an instructor for Purdue Online Engineering for almost 10 years teaching Project Management Essentials and PMP Exam Prep online courses. Susan maximizes her over 30 years of project management experience and consulting to teach hundreds of students using many real-life experiences where she is data and results-driven using PMI inputs, tools/techniques, outputs, and globally recognized methodologies. She is always positive and sets a good example and gets high praise and feedback from her many students too. Overall, I highly recommend Susan Vaughn for any project management consulting job big or small…Please give her a try, since you won’t be disappointed.”

 

John Wellman
 Senior Program Manager, Purdue Online Engineering

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