Who is Susan Funk?

I’m Susan Funk, a dedicated public servant, a successful small business owner, a proud parent, a people person who knows how to listen, and loves to sing and dance. I’m not afraid to tackle tough issues, especially complex problems like next-generation housing, homelessness, fire safety and wastewater that will determine our quality of life for decades to come. 

I grew up in Kansas, where my father was an agricultural engineer, and crops and water policy were regular topics at the family dinner table. Right after college, I spent four years in Washington, DC, working for a Missouri Congressman. After earning an MBA at Stanford and a Certificate in Public Management, I built a career in healthcare management. For three decades, I have owned and operated a small business providing management consulting to healthcare companies, mostly involving finding ways that new medical devices and medicines can generate savings for hospitals and health plans to help make better healthcare more affordable.

My husband Gordon Fuglie and I have been married for over 30 years.  We met and married in Los Angeles, and moved to Atascadero with our son Jaron in 2008. I’ve volunteered at ECHO and other civic organizations, in church, and with professional societies and schools. 

I was elected to the Atascadero City Council in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. In 2020 I fought hard to secure local voter approval of Measure D20, to fund our police and pay for vital safety and infrastructure projects in Atascadero. I chaired SLO County’s Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC) for three years and led the development of the Countywide Strategic Plan on Homelessness 2022-27 that has led the way to significant reductions in homelessness across the County since it was approved by the Board of Supervisors–unanimously–in 2022.  I represent Atascadero with REACH Central Coast, the tri-county economic action coalition, and am active on the City Manager’s Citizen Task Force on Wastewater.

I firmly believe that our City makes its best decisions when each person matters and everyone’s best ideas are at the table.  In the end, we are all neighbors. You can count on me to take your needs and concerns seriously and work respectfully and thoughtfully so that all of us can build good futures here.