Meet Susan
I have spent my entire life helping people in need achieve their goals and dreams. And as your state representative, I intend to work hard to put the dreams of every Kansan within reach.
My parents had the biggest influence over my civic life. My mother was born in Texas and had a sixth-grade education. My father was an immigrant from Mexico who came to the U.S. with a third-grade education and his American Dream. He worked for Southern Pacific Railroad for fifty years and was a proud union member. He obtained his citizenship and began a lifelong effort to help other immigrants become citizens; registered people to vote, and volunteered as a community organizer.
I became a first-generation college graduate, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX. I moved to Kansas in 1993 and have been a proud resident of Shawnee for the past 22 years.
I legally married my partner of twenty years in 2016, one month before she passed away. This taught me the importance of acting today because tomorrow is not promised.
For 25 years, I have worked as a licensed clinical social worker in Kansas and Missouri, working with adults who have severe mental illness. While my clients were often written off as a “lost cause” by many, I saw their potential and worked hard to help them achieve their best life.
In 2018 and 2020, I was honored to be elected as your state representative in District 23, serving Shawnee, Lenexa and Overland Park. It is truly the honor of my lifetime to be able to represent you and make sure your voice is heard. I hope to earn your vote again as I seek re-election on November 8, 2022. In the meantime, I will continue working hard to make positive changes in the Sunflower State.
