Susanne Althoff
Professor Emerita, School of Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies
Susanne Althoff was an associate professor and assistant professor in Emerson’s Department of Writing, Literature, and Publishing from 2015 to 2026. Her areas of study include entrepreneurship, the business of publishing, and women’s media. She was the founding faculty advisor of the Penguin Random House mentorship program for aspiring copy editors and proofreaders, and served as an advisor to several student-led start-ups.
Her writing has appeared in <em>WIRED</em>, <em>Fortune</em>, the <em>Boston Globe</em>, and other publications. Her book, <em>Launching While Female: Smashing the System That Holds Women Entrepreneurs Back</em> (Beacon Press) is based on her interviews with over a hundred women and nonbinary founders, explores entrepreneurship’s gender gap, and offers a road map for a more inclusive and economically successful future for all. <em>Publishers Weekly </em>said: “Althoff’s incisive, practical guide should be required reading for any entrepreneurial woman.”
Before joining Emerson, she was the editor-in-chief of <em>The Boston Globe Magazine</em> for six years. Althoff worked at the <em>Globe</em> for a dozen years, during which time she relaunched the Sunday magazine, oversaw the creation of digital content, helped create a new free women’s publication, and helped pursue new products and revenue streams such as apps and e-books.