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Susan Candell

Susan and her husband Brian have lived in Lafayette for 22 years, along with their children Allison and Peter. She was elected to Lafayette City Council in 2018 and served as Mayor of the City of Lafayette in 2021. On City Council, Susan helped write 4 of the 5 Strategic Objectives for Lafayette: Develop a strategy to augment community emergency preparedness, specifically in wildfire planning, Develop a strategy to create and institutionalize holistic City-Schools collaboration, Develop a strategy to expand City support of local businesses and commerce & to increase the vibrancy of downtown Lafayette, and Develop a strategy for addressing traffic congestion and improving mobility in Lafayette.

Susan is currently the Chair of the Equity and Inclusion Task Force, Lafayette’s representative to ABAG/MTC (our Regional Council of Government), and regularly attends the Contra Costa County’s Mayors Conference. She organized a Lamorinda COVID-19 Testing program in late Spring 2020 for all Lamorinda residents and staff in all 8 Senior Care Facilities before testing was available for these sites through the county, with the help of Orinda Medical Group and fundraising by the Community Foundations for Lafayette, Orinda, and Moraga. Susan grew up in Orinda, and after travels for school and jobs, returned to Lamorinda for the same reasons we all choose to live here. She has 17 years of fundraising service with Lombardy Branch of UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital Oakland, and she is President of the Springhill Valley Homeowners Association. Susan is a Nuclear Engineer and currently works at Carl Zeiss X-Ray Microscopy in Pleasanton.

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Creating Change in Our Community

The Community Foundation’s Excellence Grants provide much-needed support to nonprofits that dispense programs and services throughout the local community.  Learn more about this year’s grantees who make an ongoing impact in the areas of Human Services, Seniors, Youth Development & Education and Arts & Culture!  Each was chosen after careful consideration by our selection committee for the stellar work done every day for the benefit of our community members. 

Thank You To Our Business Partners