Susan Guthrie

Susan Guthrie joins SGR with more than 22 years of experience in municipal government, in addition to experience in higher education, federal government, health care and Fortune 500 companies. She has extensive experience in communications, strategic planning, and innovative performance improvement processes.

Most recently Guthrie served as the Town Manager for Clarkdale, Arizona where she established a robust grant writing initiative, developed capital project prioritization and planning for facilities, water, wastewater, roads and parks; facilitated Council Strategic Planning (including key performance indicators), implemented economic development initiatives and more than doubled the net financial position for the organization in three years. She previously served as the Manager for the communities of Sunnyvale, Texas and South Padre Island, Texas and the Assistant City Manager for Tyler, Texas.

Guthrie has led award-winning performance excellence programs, including launching Tyler’s Six Sigma program, City training program (City U) and quest for the Texas Award for Performance Excellence (the City received the Progress Level Award in 2014 and 2015 and the Engagement Level Award in 2013).

Guthrie has been an ICMA-credentialed manager since 2015 and has completed the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government program as well as the Public Executives Institute through the Lyndon B. Johnson School at the University of Texas. In 2026, Guthrie was awarded the ICMA Local Government Excellence Award for Career Development.