About Susan
Deep Camarillo Roots
In 1976, Susan’s parents moved their family from Pittsburgh, PA to Camarillo, so that her father could serve in the US Navy. Susan has called Camarillo home ever since. Both sets of her grandparents followed and moved into Leisure Village, where they lived out the rest of their lives.
Susan raised her two sons, Nick-26 and Matt-24, in Camarillo. Nick is now a High School Teacher and Matt is working towards becoming a commercial airline pilot. Her parents, Edy and Sal, still live here and are very active in the community.
Nursing Career
Susan’s calling was nursing, which was a wonderful combination of her parents’ vocations; her father was a surgeon and her mother an educator and therapist.
- Began her nursing career at St. John’s Regional Medical Center.
- She was promoted to Prehospital Care Coordinator and then to the Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department.
- Served as the Performance Improvement Coordinator for the Santa Barbara Emergency Medical Services Agency
- Then, as the Program Coordinator for Critical Care Transport Team with American Medical Response.
- Susan returned to graduate school and earned her Master of Science in Nursing in 2015. She was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in 2017.
- She went to work at Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families as the Assistant Director of Health Services.
- When Covid hit, Susan helped navigate the organization through the complexities and ever-changing pandemic guidelines.
- In 2021, Susan went to work for Wellpath, the company that provides contracted medical and psychiatric services for the Ventura County Jail system. There, she worked alongside the Ventura County Sheriff Jail deputies, technicians, and law enforcement agencies across the county.
- For the last 3 years and currently, Susan is a Nurse Supervisor at Vista Del Mar Behavioral Hospital in Ventura. In her role as a Supervisor, Susan oversees other nurses and cares for people suffering and struggling from mental health crises.
One of Susan’s proudest achievements...
In 1999, Susan was instrumental in bringing Service Employees’ International Union to St. John’s nurses. Susan helped lead the campaign for Union Representation at the hospital and served on the first Contract Negotiation Team. The nurses were able to secure safer staffing ratios, improved benefits and pay, and a place on the organizations’ Patient Care Committee.
Susan became a spokesperson for Safe Staffing across the greater Los Angeles area. This helped set the stage for the passing of AB-394, a CA state law that mandated nursing ratios in all patient care areas and ensured patient safety.
California is the only state today to mandate nurse-patient ratios.
Community Involvement
Before being elected to the city council, Susan was involved in community service for many years.
Donating her time & medical knowledge
- Doctors Without Walls Street Medicine Team, which provided medical care to the homeless.
- Served on the Medical Reserve Corps.
While her sons were growing up
- AYSO Team Mother, Regional Referee, CYBA & CPBA Scorekeeper and Team Mother.
- She was a member of the Camarillo Heights Elementary PTA, Monte Vista Middle School PTA, and the Rio Mesa High School PTO.
- Served as the Board Secretary & President for the Rio Mesa High School Music and Pageantry Boosters Club.
Volunteering for local organizations
- Volunteered for Ventura County Animal Shelter, fostering newborn kittens in her home
- Volunteered with KidSTREAM Children’s Museum
- Served as a judge for numerous Rotary Club Youth Speech competitions.
Committees & Regional Boards
- Finance and Investment Committee,
- Citizen Appointment Committee,
- Economic Development and Land Use Committee,
- Liaison/Intergovernmental Committee,
- Public Safety/Emergency Preparedness Committee
- Ventura County Airport Authority (Chair),
- Clean Power Alliance (CPA) of Southern California,
- CPA Executive Committee,
- CPA Finance Committee (Chair),
- Ventura County Animal Services Commission,
- Regional Defense Partnership,
- Ventura County City Selection Committee,
- League of California Cities
Susan has spent an entire career caring for people. She has advocated for those in need. She has helped shape public policy. She knows how to remain calm under pressure, and how to thoughtfully make decisions that impact people’s lives.
She has managed budgets and a large workforce with very limited resources. As an educator, she understands how to motivate people, how to collaborate, and how to affect dialogue and the exchange of ideas.
Susan will continue to use all of her skills to lead Camarillo into the future, with a vision that ensures sustainability, opportunity for all, public safety, and economic vitality.
