Meet Susanna
Growing up
Experience ​and
Advocacy
Susanna is the second oldest of six children, grew up in an underserved and underrepresented community near the Travis County and Bastrop County lines.
She is a native Central Texan, born in Austin to hard-working poor parents that did the best they could living paycheck to paycheck. Her mother was a nurse’s aide, and her father worked in construction.
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​“There were times growing up we didn’t have running water or electricity in our trailer. We had to fill buckets of water from our neighbor's house for cooking and bathing.”
“Winter Storm Uri reminded me of the times growing up when we used the oven as our central heating device.”
“You could say my advocacy work stems from my childhood lived experiences. I firmly believe that no one in Travis County should grow up without basic human resources and I will continue to fight for those that can’t fight for themselves.”
Experiencing the impact of income inequality firsthand, Susanna is determined to provide equitable service to all in the community.
Del Valle ISD Trustee
​2011 - Present
While serving as a member of the board of trustees for Del Valle ISD, the board has raised employee pay, increased health benefits to attract top-quality employees, and implemented a non-discrimination policy for employees while lowering the Del Valle ISD tax rate over the past 8 years and maintaining a Superior Financial rating (FIRST) with The Texas Education Agency (TEA).
Other achievements include ensuring safe and clean environments during the pandemic, providing equitable technology for remote learning during the pandemic, decreasing the prevalence of school-to-prison pipeline by voting to create the Del Valle Safety and Security Force, and ensuring proper accountability for 2014, and 2019 bond funds.
In 2019 DVISD Board of Trustees Won the H-E-B Excellence in Education Board of the Year award.
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Community Advocacy
​2010 - Present
Susanna has advocated for increasing community access to healthy affordable food, comprehensive and affordable healthcare services, reforming of the criminal justice system and funding, public education funding, women’s rights, immigration reform, equitable conservation of green space, and viable public transportation in Precinct 4. With the expected growth in Precinct 4, she knows that we need to be smart about development and is often speaking to local government officials about the urgency of providing equitable services for residents of Precinct 4.
​Political Base Advocacy
​2000 - present
Susanna has been a voting Democrat since the age of 18. Since 2016 she has been a state delegate for the Texas Democratic Party. In 2018 she served on the States Rules Committee for SD14 and in 2020 she served on the Presidential Preference Recommendation Committees for SD14.
Susanna has been an active member of the Travis County Democratic Party by supporting and block walking for local Democratic candidates. Susanna also has strong ties to grassroots organizations that supported her during her last campaigns, like Our Revolution and DSA.
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Work
​2002 - Present
Susanna has been working for Advanced Micro Devices for over 15 years. She started as a computer hardware technologist where she learned computer system building. She has since moved from research and development to project management. As a project management specialist, she has developed skills that involve procurement, planning, risk mitigation, process improvement, innovative thinking, collaboration, and leadership to help her team meet team goals. Developing these skills has not only helped Susanna at work but has also helped her in her advocacy work within Precinct 4.
Susanna is a married, working mother of three, her community service has followed the growth of her children. She is a project management specialist at AMD and has a successful career that she balances with family time and community service.
Susanna’s husband is Roy C. Woody Jr. and together they have raised three children in Precinct 4. Caleb is a graduating senior from Del Valle High School and will be attending Huston-Tillotson University in the fall of 2021. Teyla is an eighth-grader at Ojeda Middle School and Lando a first-grader at Smith Elementary.
Susanna was elected in 2011 to the Board of Trustees for Del Valle Independent School District for SMD 7 and has been instrumental in working with other trustees to restructure the District. Susanna is proud of the work she and the other board members have done to create a district that not only focuses on providing an excellent education for students, but also takes pride in diversity and celebrates the talents, identities, and dreams of each student. She is also proud that the district is empowering students to create a solid foundation and appreciation of cultural diversity with positive self-esteem that will enable them to thrive in environments where they may be the minority, as well as, be equipped to recognize injustice and to stand up or speak out for what is right in our global society.
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Susanna is a founding member of the Del Valle Community Coalition (DVCC) which she currently serves as the President. As President of DVCC Susanna is committed to making sure residents in Southeast Austin and Travis County are not ignored by city and county planning and are provided better transportation options, reliable access to city and county services, and improved economic development that encourages a strong economy. Over the past year, Susanna and the Del Valle Community Coalition have focused on reducing the spread of COVID-19 and increasing COVID-19 vaccination distribution sites throughout Precinct 4.
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