Suzanne Stevens

Suzanne was born near Tokyo, Japan, the daughter of a career American serviceman and a Japanese woman. While her father was in the Army, the family lived in California, Washington, Alaska and Japan, where she graduated high school. After high school, Suzanne attended the American University in Washington, D.C., and graduated with a degree in International Studies. 

After graduating, Suzanne returned to Washington State where her father had retired, and worked as a civilian for the US Army at Fort Lewis for two years. Suzanne then transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration where she worked both in Seattle and in Washington, D.C. While she worked for the FAA in Seattle, she obtained an MPA from the University of Washington. 

Suzanne retired from the FAA in 2009, and moved to rural Dewatto Bay, near Belfair, Washington. After retiring, Suzanne worked teaching English to the many newly arrived immigrants, mostly from Guatemala, who lived in and around Belfair. In 2018, she began volunteering for the Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center in Bremerton, Washington, where she is able to put her skills in Spanish to good use helping immigrants start businesses, pay taxes, and resolve a host of other problems. 

Suzanne is honored to be asked to serve on the Community Action Board, and work with the other Board members and the staff of the UW Medicine Eye Institute in their mission to eliminate suffering from eye diseases.