President’s Circle and ZPG Society Member Profile: Sue Kaufman
Written by Victoria Wright, Director of Planned Giving | Published: September 8, 2026
Sue Kaufman has been thinking about population challenges and advocating for access to reproductive health for most of her adult life. She and her late husband, Stan, met during their first week at Heidelberg College and married just after graduation. After Stan completed a graduate degree in social work at Case Western Reserve University, they moved to Painesville, Ohio, a small city about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland (where Sue still lives).
Stan went on to work at a local child welfare agency, where he saw firsthand the difficult realities facing children who lacked parental care and support. Those experiences stayed with Stan and Sue and propelled them to take steps to ensure that every child is wanted and loved. In 1970, alongside like-minded friends and colleagues, Stan helped found the Family Planning Association of Northeast Ohio (now part of Signature Health). He served as its director from 1973–2002, helping expand the organization’s services beyond contraception to include prenatal care, fertility services, and HIV testing and treatment.
Sue’s own career reflected a similar commitment to science and health care — she worked in hospital laboratories as a medical technologist and clinical microbiologist. Outside of work, she was active with the National Association of University Women and the National Audubon Society. She also devoted countless hours to volunteering for the Family Planning Association of Northeast Ohio and advocating alongside Stan for access to family planning services. She says their early motivation for establishing the clinic was simply to make birth control more accessible.
“In other words, we were doing population work before it was trendy, before it was politicized, and before most people had the language for it.”
During their 58 years of marriage, Sue and Stan were dedicated organic gardeners, avid bird watchers, and enthusiastic travelers who camped across the United States and parts of Europe. Together, they raised two sons, Peter and Joel. Peter lives in Denver and works as a geologist. He and his wife have two biological sons and three adopted daughters from Ethiopia. Joel lives in Maryland and works for the Library of Congress. He and his wife have one daughter, who was the first girl born into the Kaufman family in 150 years. Stan passed away in 2020.
Sue believes that overpopulation is the root cause of many of our world’s most pressing challenges and that Population Connection’s work to educate people about family planning and expand access to contraception is essential to building a better future. She first knew the organization as Zero Population Growth (ZPG) and, after reconnecting with it as Population Connection, came to appreciate our work to expand reproductive health care, empower women, and care for our shared environment. Sue thinks that Population Connection’s advocacy around family planning is some of our most important work, explaining that it will lead to improved quality of life and decreased environmental degradation.
She hopes people will become more willing to acknowledge the connections between population growth, reproductive health, and climate change, even when those conversations are uncomfortable.
“I wish more people understood that contraception needs to be openly accepted, accessible, and available for anyone who wants to plan or time childbearing. It can have a dramatic effect on so many other things.”
She remains deeply concerned about the increasing barriers to contraceptive access in the United States and the dwindling donor funding for international family planning. She believes everyone should have access to contraception and the freedom to decide whether and when to have children.
“It’s a matter of dignity, autonomy, and common sense.”
Through her volunteer work and her advocacy within her community, Sue has seen firsthand what happens when people have information, resources, and choices regarding their reproductive health, and she has also seen the cost when they do not. Her beliefs were shaped by decades of paying attention to what families and communities need to thrive.
“When people are empowered to plan their families, the whole community is lifted.”
When asked what gives her hope, Sue points to her grandchildren, describing them as responsible, compassionate, and smart enough not to buy the misleading messages coming from this administration. She is encouraged by the younger generation’s ability to see through political noise and stay grounded.
“I truly believe the next generation will make the world a better place.”
Already a member of our President’s Circle since 2022, Sue recently joined our ZPG Society with a gift to Population Connection in her will. By including Population Connection in her legacy plans, Sue has ensured this essential work will continue for years to come.
To become a member of the ZPG Society by including Population Connection in your estate plans, please email legacy@popconnect.org. To join the President’s Circle with a gift of $1,000 or more, please email giving@popconnect.org. We appreciate your support!