Biography

Sue Autry, Senior Executive Recruiter and Strategist

Based in Westchester County, New York, Sue Fowler Autry has a reputation for professionalism in human resources and executive recruitment enjoyed by few others in the United States.  Following successful careers in banking, elite private-sector executive recruiting (Texas), employment law, finance, and manufacturing, Ms. Autry held executive leadership and management positions for 20 years in local government human resources.

Creative and resourceful, Ms. Autry meets the challenges of every assignment, regardless of difficulty, with a “can do” attitude.  Her career started in banking, where she was the first female Officer Candidate in a large Atlanta bank. Under a Consent Decree at the time, the bank retained Ms. Autry to focus on affirmative action, compliance, and recruiting. After a few years, Ms. Autry’s talent and excellent reputation drew the attention of several executive search firms.

A private sector executive search firm noticed Ms. Autry’s success managing the bank’s college recruiting, executive hiring, and manpower planning. The firm’s partners invited her to Dallas and within a year made her an equal partner.  Ms. Autry’s strong intuition and relationship-building skills with clients brought success. Her work in affirmative action and compliance piqued her interest in law, so after years of successful recruiting practice, she sold her company shares to her partners and was admitted to the Southern Methodist University School of Law.

After graduation, she practiced employment and labor law at Haynes and Boone, LLP (Dallas).  In the years that followed, Ms. Autry was recruited away from the firm to major private sector assignments including with First National Bank of Texas, where she improved operations of the $9 billion personal trust administration department.  She was recruited a second time to the team that brought Northern Trust of Chicago to Texas. Northern Trust as Statewide Marketing Director.   In an unexpected turn, family health issues led her to assume responsibility for her spouse’s footwear manufacturing company.  As President and CEO, Ms. Autry transformed the company from manufacturing to licensing of the company’s patents and trademarks.

Ms. Autry transitioned to the public sector as a human resources consultant, but the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado, quickly hired her full-time to manage employee relations, disciplinary hearings, executive recruitments, pay for performance, performance management, and benefits. She redrafted all of the City’s policies and procedures.   El Paso County, CO, recruited her to a similar role, but the City soon recruited her back to serve as Human Resources Manager for the police department.  The police chief quickly promoted her, giving Ms. Autry responsibility for Management Services (finance, human resources, information technology, records and ID, the volunteer program, fleet, facilities, and asset management). In Colorado’s second-largest city, Ms. Autry was the only civilian on the chief’s command staff.

Her years of success in both the private and public sectors uniquely position Ms. Autry to help clients resolve difficult organizational challenges.  She understands city and county organizations in a way most search consultants never will.  Ms. Autry excels in identifying candidates in alignment with Columbia ltd’s mission of advancing organizations, improving teams, and enhancing communities, one recruitment at a time.

Ms. Autry holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgia State University, as well a Juris Doctor from the Southern Methodist University School of Law.