Biography
Suzanne received her Masters of Science in Community Development with a thesis focus on the Hupa Peoples and Disabilities: Past and Present, and a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology, with a Minor in Native American Studies from the University of California Davis. Suzanne served in the United States Peace Corps in Dominica, West Indies for the Dominica Association of Disabled People, and was one of ten Nominated for an Associate Peace Corps Fellowship. Suzanne continued her education by participating in numerous certification workshop, such as Bridges Out of Poverty, ahaProcess!; Leadership Training, Northern Arizona University Capacity Building for American Indians Project; and Improving Employment Outcomes for American Indians and Alaska Natives with Alcohol Abuse or Dependency, Northern Arizona University Capacity Building for American Indians Project to name a few.
Suzanne provided service to the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe in the Tri-State area of Arizona, California, and Nevada from 2000-2013 as the Director of their Vocational Rehabilitation Program. Suzanne had a solid working relationship with tribal leaders, tribal members, tribal program directors and staff, and outside agencies serving the reservation community. Suzanne served on the State Independent Living Council and State Rehabilitation Council for California and Arizona and the Nineteen Tribal Nations Workforce Investment Board Arizona and the Human Resource Committee of Arizona and the Native American Independent Living Services for Arizona.
Suzanne began her contractual business, New Beginnings, in 2013 providing traditional and non-traditional Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Evaluations, Client, Partner and Stakeholder Interviews; and Focus Groups. In addition, presentations, Intergenerational Trauma, California SILC; and Sustainability, San Diego State University, Interwork Institute.
In April 2016, Suzanne began a new career with Northern Arizona University in the Institute for Human Development with the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistant Center (AIVRTTAC) as a Training and Technical Specialist providing training and technical assistance to the 89 American Indian Tribes across the United States with a Vocational Rehabilitation program.
My Skills
- Evaluation of Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Program (TVR)
- Consulting: Directors of TVR Programs
- Fund Raising/Proposal Development for Non-profit Organization
- Development and writing of large scale reports
- Budgets/develop, implement, and monitor
- Produced resolutions to bring Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation agency into compliance with the five-year federal grant
- Obtained Memorandum of Understanding, MOU between States and Tribe
- Advocacy for disadvantaged and disenfranchised people
Work Experience
The Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
- Director/Administrator for the Fort Mojave Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Project
(2000-2013)
University of California at Davis
- Michael Smith, Ph.D. – Reader, Politics/Community Development (April-June 2000)
- Laurie Lippin, Ph.D. – Reader, Continuing Learner (April-June 2000)
- Robert Flocchini, Ph.D. – Reader, Land-Air and Water Resources (Jan-March 2000)
- John Hall, Ph.D. – Reader, Sociology (Oct-Dec 1999)
- Daniel Brook, Ph.D. – Reader, Community Regional Development (Oct-Dec 1999)
- Judith Reitan, Ph.D. – Reader, Human Development and Sexuality (Oct-Dec 1999)
- J. Olupona, Ph.D. – Research Assistant, Religion (Jan-June 1999)
- V. Montejo, Ph.D. – Teaching Assistant, Native American Studies (Oct-Dec 1998)
- H. Stanfield, Ph. D. – Research Assistant, Sociology (Jan-Jun 1998)
Status
Portfolio
Community and Personal Activities:
- Fort Mojave Indian Tribe Teen Council (2013 to present)
- Arizona Department of Economic Security Human Rights Committee (2010 to 2013)
- State Rehabilitation Council, SRC for Arizona (2009 to present)
- Independent Living Council, SILC for Arizona (2007 to present)
- Nineteen Tribal Nations-Workforce Investment Board (NTN-WIB) (2005 to 2013)