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Person

Sue Van

Occupation:

President and CEO, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation
Role:

Philanthropist, Retired Businesswoman
Advocacy:

Asian American Identity

Left-of-Center Voter Mobilization
Birth Place:

Shanghai, China

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Sue Van is a businesswoman and philanthropist best known for her role as the president and CEO of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, a grantmaking organization established by engineer Wallace Coulter, the inventor of several hematological technologies and Van’s former boss. Born in Shanghai, China, Van pursued an education in politics at American University and George Washington University and has directed the Coulter Foundation in her capacity as president to fund several left-of-center organizations and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) identity groups. 1 2 3 4

According to press releases, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation was scheduled to sunset its operations in 2025. As of December 2025, it was unclear if that had occurred. 5 6

Background

Sue Van is a businesswoman and philanthropist best known for being the president and CEO of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, a grantmaking organization established by engineer Wallace Coulter, the inventor of several hematological technologies and Van’s former boss. Van was born in Shanghai, China and immigrated to the United States when she was five years old. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science from American University and a master’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University. She has directed the Coulter Foundation in her capacity as president to fund several left-of-center organizations and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) identity groups. 1 2 4 3

Wallace H. Coulter Foundation

In 1975, Sue Van was hired to manage the business and personal assets of Wallace Coulter, an American engineer and inventor. Coulter is known for his patenting of the Coulter principle, a method for measuring microscopic particles in fluid, and for co-founding medical diagnostics company Coulter Electronics (later known as the Coulter Corporation) with his brother Joseph R. Coulter, Jr. 7 8 9 5

Over time, Van rose in the ranks of the Coulter Corporation, coming to oversee long-term strategy, financial matters, and legal affairs. The history provided by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation’s website indicates that Van significantly increased the competitive advantage of the company’s method of leasing its blood cell testing equipment, and credits her innovations in this field as the primary factor behind the company’s global “market dominance.” According to the foundation, Van negotiated the first leveraged buyout of a Japanese company by a foreign company in recorded history. 1

By the time the Coulter Corporation was sold to Beckman Instruments in 1997, Van had become the executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Coulter Corporation and the trustee of the personal trusts of the Coulter brothers. In the following year, Wallace Coulter passed away and Van was involved in founding the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, which received the proceeds from Wallace’s estate as funding. 5 2

The Wallace H. Coulter Foundation was designed to be a “limited life philanthropy,” an organization through which a donor intends to spend down the entirety of his or her wealth in a short period of time. The spending that occurred immediately following Wallace’s death is referred to as the “the first phase of grantmaking” and the “legacy period,” during which time it largely funded biomedical associations and academic scholarships. However, the organization continued to exist long past this phase. 10 2

After this period, lasting from roughly 1998 to 2010, the group began to direct its assets to other areas. Beginning in 2010, the foundation started providing funds to Asian American and Pacific Islander and left-of-center advocacy organizations, a shift that Sue Van oversaw as president and CEO of the organization. Van’s aim has been to support both “innovative initiatives” and groups that work on behalf of “underserved communities” according to the foundation. 11

In 2015, Van was invited to become a member of the Committee of 100, a nonprofit leadership organization for Chinese Americans. The Committee also awarded Van with its C-100 Philanthropy Excellence Award at its 25th anniversary gala held that year. 4 12

According to press releases, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation was scheduled to sunset its operations in 2025. As of December 2025, it was unclear if that had occurred. 5 6

Grantmaking

Under Sue Van’s guidance, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation has been committed to funding left-of-center advocacy organizations as well as a smattering of academic programs and medical research centers. 2

In 2023, the foundation provided grants to numerous left-of-center organizations and Asian American identity groups, including the Anti-Defamation League ($45,000), the Asian American Federation ($200,000), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund ($150,000), Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern CA ($200,000), the Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus ($250,000), Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago ($200,000), the Asian Pacific Fund ($50,000), the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement ($250,000), Asian Texans for Justice ($100,000), the Florida Philanthropic Network ($100,000), Florida TaxWatch ($100,000), the Illinois Coalition For Immigrant and Refugee Rights ($200,000), and the New Venture Fund ($175,000). 13

In 2023, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation reportedly ended the year with net assets of $48,463,673. 14

Foundation Leadership

As of 2025, Sue Van was the president and CEO of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. According to its 2023 tax return, the foundation’s books were in her care, and the organization was based in Miami, Florida. She is reported to be extensively involved with every aspect of the organization, from creating programs to analyzing metrics. 15 3

In Sue Van’s words, “the uniqueness of America is exemplified by somebody like Wallace, because only in America, and only an American, like Wallace, would entrust his vast fortune and his legacy to a Chinese woman immigrant.” Under her leadership, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation launched the Asian-American Pacific Islander Program, which promotes “civic engagement” and aims to address alleged “health disparities” among Asian and Pacific Islander communities. 2

According to the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation’s 2023 tax return, Sue Van was compensated with a salary of $411,000 and an additional $86,446 in employee benefit plan contributions for her work as president and CEO that year. 16

References

  1. “Team.” Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.whcf.org/about-the-whcf-foundation/team/.
  2. “Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.” Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.whcf.org/.
  3. “Sue Van.” RxMP Therapeutic Inc. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.rxmpt.com/sue-van.
  4. “Sue Van, President of Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, Becomes A Committee of 100 Member.” Committee of 100, October 1, 2015. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.committee100.org/media-center/sue-van-president-of-wallace-h-coulter-foundation-becomes-a-committee-of-100-member/.
  5. “About the WHCF Foundation.” Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.whcf.org/about-the-whcf-foundation/.
  6. Post. Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy – AAPIP. Facebook, September 7, 2023. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/aapip/posts/when-wallace-h-coulter-foundation-sunsets-in-2025-it-will-leave-behind-major-acc/677254934435645/.
  7. “Inventor of the Week Archive.” MIT.edu. Archived March 18, 2003. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20030318175451/http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/coulter.html.
  8. “A Life Lived Well.” Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.whcf.org/the-man-wallace-h-coulter/a-life-lived-well/.
  9. “Legacy.” Wallace H. Coulter. Foundation. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.whcf.org/the-man-wallace-h-coulter/legacy/.
  10. Paynter, Ben. “Why More and More Philanthropies Are Choosing to Put Themselves Out of Business.” March 21, 2017. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.fastcompany.com/3069065/why-more-and-more-philanthropies-are-choosing-to-put-themselves-out-o.
  11. “About the WHCF Foundation.” Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.whcf.org/about-the-whcf-foundation/#guiding.
  12. “About Us.” Committee of 100. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.committee100.org/about-us/.
  13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. 2023. Part XIV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.
  14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. 2023. Part II – Balance Sheets.
  15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. 2023. Part VI-A – Statements Regarding Activities. Line 14.
  16. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. 2023. Part VII – Information About Officers, Directors, Trustees, Foundation Managers, Highly Paid Employees, and Contractors.
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