Susan Ford Bales

Healthcare Speaker

Susan Ford Bales Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type
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Languages Spoken
English
Travels From
Texas, USA

Susan Ford Bales Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type
Please Inquire
Languages Spoken
English
Travels From
Texas, USA

Keynote Speaker Topics

Aging Keynote Speakers
Cancer Keynote Speakers
Celebrity Motivational Speakers
Healthcare Keynote Speakers

Suggested Keynote Speaker Programs

A Daughter's Story: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer

As a teenager in the White House, Susan was thrust into the spotlight when her mother developed breast cancer and she had to assume many of her mother’s duties. As First Lady, Betty Ford was one of the first women to publicly talk about her cancer, a subject that up ...

As a teenager in the White House, Susan was thrust into the spotlight when her mother developed breast cancer and she had to assume many of her mother’s duties. As First Lady, Betty Ford was one of the first women to publicly talk about her cancer, a subject that up until that time had not been discussed in public. Susan shares her stories of how her mother inspired her and how she became an advocate for breast cancer awareness and a spokesperson for the cause, a role she held for over ten years. She also discusses the stark reality of her susceptibility to the disease and the assertive approach she takes on prevention strategies.

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Substance Abuse: A Family's Intervention

An Intimate Look at Life in the White House

Suffering Cardiac Arrest: My Story

Susan Ford Bales had no idea that she had heart disease, and in 2010, she was surprised when she went into sudden cardiac arrest while ...

Susan Ford Bales had no idea that she had heart disease, and in 2010, she was surprised when she went into sudden cardiac arrest while exercising on an elliptical machine. After being revived by an electronic defibrillator, Bales received a heart stent and pacemaker. She was one of the lucky ones. She shares her own andher family’s experiences with heart disease.

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About Keynote Speaker Susan Ford Bales

Susan Ford Bales is a Virginia native and now resides in Texas. She is the daughter of President Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford. Susan is the mother of two daughters, Tyne Berlanga and Heather Devers, three step-sons, Kevin, Matthew, and Andrew Bales and five grandchildren.

Susan was raised in Alexandria, Virginia and attended Holton Arms School and Mount Vernon College, where she studied photojournalism. She is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate Of Public Service degree, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters degree, and an Honorary Doctorate Of Humane Letters degree. She is the author of two novels set in the White House, “Double Exposure: A First Daughter Mystery”, and its sequel, “Sharp Focus.”

Susan is the Ship Sponsor for the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which she officially christened on November 9, 2013. On April 8, 2016, she was named an Honorary Naval Aviator by the United States Navy. Susan is the 31st American to receive this distinction, and the only woman in history to be so honored.

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During her high school years, Susan lived in the White House and served as official White House hostess following her mother's surgery for breast cancer in 1974. In 1984, she and her mother helped launch National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Susan subsequently served as national spokesperson for breast cancer awareness. Since the founding of the Betty Ford Center in 1982, Susan worked side by side with her mother on projects at the Center and was elected to the Center's Board of Directors in 1992. She succeeded her mother as Chairman of the Board from 2005 – 2010, and currently serves on the board of directors of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

In addition to her many charitable and public service activities, Susan serves as Trustee of the Elizabeth B. Ford Charitable Trust, Co-Trustee of the President Gerald R. Ford Historical Legacy Trust, Global Ambassador for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the Honorary Advisory Committee of the Children's National Medical Center.