Susan’s mental health advocacy began following her son’s serious mental illness episode in 2011. In 2016, she led the restart of NAMI Miami-Dade, the local affiliate of National Alliance on Mental Illness, the most prominent peer to peer mental health nonprofit in the US.  Susan developed broad community partnerships, raised funds to recruit the first NAMI Miami staff, and advanced the organization to become one of the largest NAMI affiliates in the Southeast.  Susan is currently Board Chair of NAMI Miami-Dade Secretary of the Board and Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee of Thriving Mind South Florida, the agency overseeing mental health a substance use treatment in Miami-Dade and Monroe; Chair of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Treasury Advisory Committee; and a member of International Women’s Forum. 

Susan was named as “Small Foundation Investment Manager of the Year in 2013” by Institutional Investor Magazine; as “Public Citizen of the Year 2017” by the National Association of Social Workers Miami-Dade Chapter; a “Woman of Impact” by the Women’s Fund in 2019;  honored as one of 20 “Inspiring Women of Health” by Health Foundation of South Florida in 2021, and a finalist “Healthcare Hero of 2023” by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.  She has a B.A. from Smith College in English and Economics, and an M.B.A from the University of Chicago in Finance and Accounting. Susan is most proud of being a mom and grandmother.