Susan Contreras

Susan Contreras has a diverse work experience spanning over 30 years. Susan began their career as a Grants Manager at the East Tennessee Community Design Center in 1981. Susan then worked as a Community Development Planner at the East Alabama Regional Planning & Development Commission from 1984 to 1985. Susan then became a Long-Range Planner at the Gwinnett County Planning Department from 1985 to 1987. Susan subsequently worked as a Research Manager at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce from 1987 to 1990. Susan then served as the Vice President of Community Development at the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce from 1990 to 1997, during which they played a key role in building relationships between business, government, and education communities. Following this, Susan worked as a Writer/Editor/Project Manager under their own company, Susan Contreras, Writer, from 1996 to 2014. In 2012, they joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development as a Project Analyst and was subsequently promoted to Assistant Director of Research in 2015. Susan currently holds the position of Director of Research at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Additionally, they have contributed their expertise as a Contributing Editor at Red Fork Studio since 2014.

Susan Contreras earned their Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from Jacksonville State University, where they studied from 1976 to 1979. Following this, they pursued a Master of City Planning degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology, specializing in City Planning, from 1979 to 1981.