By EVM Staff
Sue Peters will succeed Raquel Thueme as the president of the Ruth Mott Foundation, effective November 3, 2025.
According to an Oct. 21 press release, the foundation’s Board of Trustees named Peters following a national search. She will succeed Thueme, who announced her retirement earlier this year, following the latter’s 14 years with the Foundation (seven of those as president).
Peters is currently vice president of community impact at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. She has been at the Community Foundation since 2016, specializing in grant making, community leadership and resource development.
“Sue’s deep commitment to community, equity, and place-based philanthropy make her the ideal leader to guide the Foundation in its next chapter,” said Maryanne Mott, Board of Trustees chair and daughter of the late Ruth Rawlings and Charles Stewart Mott. “We are fortunate to have her experience and vision as we continue our mission to work with the community toward a vibrant and inclusive Flint.”
Peters joins the Ruth Mott Foundation as it works to develop the next phase of its strategic plan, which guides its community grantmaking, impact investing, and stewardship of Applewood Estate.
“I’m honored to join an organization that not only listens to and lifts up community voices but also offers Applewood as a place of learning and gathering,” Peters said. “I look forward to leading an organization that integrates grantmaking with its stewardship of a historic community asset like Applewood as I continue to serve in the community I have called home for over 25 years.”
Early in Peters’ career, she honed her community-centered approach while serving in the Peace Corps in Bolivia, where she developed relationships with residents to implement local solutions to local issues. “The experience shaped her lifelong commitment to community engagement and sustainable nonprofit success,” the Foundation’s release notes.
Peters came to Flint in 2000 when she was hired as a program officer at the C.S. Mott Foundation. After seven years, she went on to direct the Flint office for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national nonprofit that connects communities with public and private resources. At the Community Foundation, Peters was a member of the leadership team through the Flint water crisis and COVID pandemic.
As Ruth Mott Foundation president, Peters will oversee grantmaking and administration functions as well as the community programs delivered at and by Applewood.
Peters earned her master’s degree in policy studies from Johns Hopkins University and her bachelor’s degree from Carroll University in Wisconsin. She lives in Fenton with her twin sons.
According to the Foundation’s press release, Thueme will stay on for a short time after Nov. 3 to ensure a smooth transition to Peters.
