About me
Before being named the 2021 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, Susanna taught mathematics and business courses for grades 7–12 at Belle Point Alternative Center in Fort Smith. Following her year of service as Arkansas Teacher of the Year, she served as the district's Secondary Math Coordinator and now serves as Assistant Principal at Southside High School. A nontraditional educator, Susanna credits her 12 years in the business world with shaping her approach to teaching. Her real-world experience inspired a passion for project- and problem-based learning and reinforced her belief that strong relationships are the foundation of student success. This conviction led her to develop her educational platform, Closing the Empathy Gap, which focuses on the transformative role of teacher empathy in engaging learners. Susanna recently earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Administration and Leadership from Walden University. Her dissertation, Recent High School Graduates' Perspectives on the Practice of Teacher Empathy as an Approach to Engage Learners, reflects her commitment to creating classrooms where students feel seen, valued, and motivated to learn. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Central Arkansas, and a Master of Education in Rural and Urban School Leadership from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Above all, Susanna's greatest priorities are her faith and her family. She has been married to her husband and best friend, Frankie, for 24 years. Together they have three children—Hayden, Hallie, and Harper—and two doodles, Huckleberry and Honey. In her free time, she enjoys camping, reading, volunteering at her church, and making memories with her family.
