Kent Watkins
I knew Susanna in the 1970s, when I was director of the FIU Center for Urban Affairs and a consultant to the Dade County HUD. She was working for my mentor Jay Janis who chaired the Florida Council on State Housing Goals. Jay had been my predecessor as Executive Assistant to U.S. HUD Secretary Robert C. Weaver and when Jay returned to Florida, he invited me to come also and integrated me into various roles at FIU, DCHUD, and the Florida Governor's Office. At this moment (July 17, 2026), I am scanning some memos of Susanna's from that time period and while reading her words, I visualized how well she worked with all of the housers in the State of Florida, with FAHRO, Tom Lewis at DCA, Frank Chavers, Mel Adams, John Sidor, John Van Ness, John DeGrove, Jules Pagano, and many others. I was stimulated to track her down only to find she had passed away recently. I regret that I had not followed her career more closely, as she truly gave so much to the community-at-large wherever she went. Thank you for the privilege of letting me record my memory of a truly outstanding person. If anyone else is still 'out there' , feel free to contact me and share some of these memories. Kent Watkins, Chairman, American Academy of Housing and Communities, Bethesda, MD. [email protected]. (646)234-3545
