Meet Susan

I’m Susan Funk, an experienced and dedicated public servant, a successful small business owner, a proud parent, a people person who knows how to listen, and a person who loves to sing and dance. I’m not afraid to tackle tough issues, especially those vexing and complex problems like next-generation housing, homelessness, and water resources that will determine our quality of life in the SLO county of the future.

I grew up in Kansas, where my father taught Agricultural Engineering at Kansas State University and worked as a hydrologist. Right after college, I spent four years in Washington, DC, working on the legislative staff of a Congressman from Missouri. I returned to school at Stanford, where I earned an MBA with a Certificate in Public Management, then began a career in healthcare operations and business management. For 25 years, I have owned and operated a small business providing management consulting for healthcare companies.

My husband Gordon Fuglie and I met in Los Angeles 29 years ago. We moved to Atascadero with our son Jaron 15 years ago. I’ve volunteered in every community where I have lived, in civic organizations, church, professional societies and Jaron’s schools. I  was particularly active raising money for Atascadero High Schools theater program to send the young actors to Scotland.

I was elected to the Atascadero City Council in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. This year, I am serving as Mayor Pro Tem. As a Council Member, I chair SLO County’s Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC). In that position, I led the development of a new Countywide Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness 2022-27 that was approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in August 2022, and has received concurrence from SLO county cities and advisory councils. I also serve on Atascadero’s Design Review Committee and on the Atascadero Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). Participation in the GSA gives me direct insight into the complexity of the water issues we face, and the need to implement policies and programs to provide for an equitable and sustainable water supply for residents and our agriculture industry.