When she returns to campus for this year’s Homecoming celebration, two-time alum Susan Packard will become two-time Homecoming Grand Marshal Susan Packard. After severe weather forced the cancellation of her first parade in 2019, she’ll finally have her opportunity to cheer alongside thousands of Spartans as she rides through the streets of East Lansing.
For Packard, though, returning home to Michigan State is about more than recognition. As a member of the recovery community herself, she is a passionate advocate for MSU’s Collegiate Recovery Community and its work to help students in or seeking recovery find support, connection and belonging while pursuing their education. Her own recovery journey has strengthened her commitment to sharing hope and helping others know they are not alone. Hear Packard share more about her connection to the CRC and its impact on the Spartan community.
That commitment to service also runs through Packard’s lifelong love of writing. She is the author of four books, including "The Little Book of College Sobriety," which shares stories of young people navigating substance use disorder and finding hope in recovery. Through her writing and advocacy, Packard has sought to uplift others and use her experiences to help those navigating their own journeys.
As MSU’s fall 2019 commencement speaker — another accolade that she holds near and dear to her heart — Packard told the class of graduating Spartans to always remember that “what you do” is not “who you are,” and that you can be an accountant or a teacher or an engineer by trade, but that it’s what you do as a human, outside the workplace, that completes you.
Packard’s own career has been remarkable. A graduate of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in advertising, her first entry-level job in the emerging world of cable television grew into an award-winning career. She was on the original startup teams for HBO and CNBC and later, as co-founder of Scripps Networks Interactive, helped build and run networks including HGTV and Food Network. She also made history as the first woman elected to serve on the board of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.
This year, MSU welcomes Packard home to the role of Homecoming Grand Marshal as her complete self: an accomplished alum and media industry trailblazer, but also a philanthropist, author, recovery advocate and Spartan committed to service. For Packard, helping others find hope, connection and a place to belong is an important part of what it means to give back — and what it means to come home to MSU.
In celebration of our Grand Marshal, the Spartan community is coming together to support transformational programs and initiatives inspired by Susan’s unique journey as a Spartan. Check this out to learn more.