Maryland has always been home. Susan grew up in Montgomery County and earned a BA in English and an MEd in Secondary Education from the University of Maryland, College Park. She taught high school English for 10 years, both in the classroom and in her own tutoring business. In 1986, she became the Director of Marketing for a PC training and consulting firm; then in 1991, she opened her own company and provided management training and consulting to companies all over the country with a team of approximately 30 independent trainers and consultants. Although she loved this work, after 19 years she was bitten by the acting bug and decided to sell the company and enroll in an acting conservatory for the next two and a half years. She adores the collaborative process of acting with people of all ages in the Baltimore-Washington area.
For the past 35 years, Columbia has been a wonderful home where she and her husband, Steven, raised two great kids. As a county resident and owner of a small business, she thought it was important to learn more about the community and contribute to it. She enjoyed six years on the Board of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, six years on the Board of Leadership Howard County (graduate of the Leadership class of 2001!), and eight years on the Board of the Howard County Arts Council, with two years as president. Currently, Susan is proud to serve on the Board of the Bright Minds Foundation.
Susan believes that equal opportunity must include equal access for all the county has to offer. Through OhanaHC, Susan and Steven will work with students and other community members to remove obstacles for underserved children in the county, and reduce isolation for all involved.