Susan Bryson, Executive Director and Financial/Operations Director for the San Juan Mountains Association, graduated from California State University (Fresno) with a B.S. Degree in Criminology and a Minor in Business Administration. Susan worked in the insurance industry for 18 years, managing and settling multi-million-dollar malpractice claims, supervising a staff of twelve employees and acting as the Western Regional Supervisor covering a six state territory.  Susan followed her heart in 1989 and left the professional world in search of utopia.  She lived in a tent and traveled extensively for three years throughout the USA and Canada with her two Golden Retrievers in tow.  Susan landed in Durango, Colorado in the fall of 1993 and decided to call it home.  She spent the next couple of years actively volunteering for SJMA and the Humane Society. 

Susan joined the staff of SJMA in 1996 as the Assistant Director and soon accepted a wide range of responsibilities including developing SJMA annual budgets, managing ten Association retail outlet stores, and handling general office administration, human resource development, and grant administration. She was named Executive Director in early 2004.

Back in 2002 Susan built an alternative “Rastra” home in Mancos, Colorado and lives on 36 acres bordering federal land.  There she spends what little free time she has enjoying her two horses, three dogs and one cat.  When not working for SJMA you can generally find Susan out hiking with her menagerie of animals or out running around her ranch playing in the dirt!