Susan Price is a highly respected public sector executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience helping local governments, counties, regional agencies, and community partners address some of the most complex challenges facing California communities. Her expertise spans homelessness response systems, housing and community development, public health, regional collaboration, strategic planning, organizational leadership, and cross-sector partnership development.

Throughout her career, Susan has built a reputation for bringing diverse stakeholders together to solve systemic community issues, strengthen service delivery systems, and create practical, results-oriented solutions. She is particularly recognized for her leadership in developing regional approaches to homelessness, integrating housing, health, behavioral health, social services, and public safety systems to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.

Most recently, Susan served as Assistant City Manager for the City of Costa Mesa, where she provided executive oversight for housing and homelessness initiatives, human resources, community services, and strategic development efforts. She led major initiatives involving homeless shelter development, two Project Homekey motel conversions, secured regional partnerships, economic recovery programs, and complex intergovernmental negotiations.

Prior to Costa Mesa, Susan served as Director of Care Coordination for the Orange County Executive Office, where she was charged with leading the County’s regional response to homelessness. In that role, she developed countywide and regional systems of care, coordinated efforts among 34 cities and multiple county departments, and helped design and implement more than 2,400 emergency shelter beds in response to the region’s homelessness crisis. Her work focused on creating sustainable partnerships, improving system coordination, and advancing long-term policy and operational solutions.

Susan spent 14 years with the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, serving in several senior leadership positions including Acting Director, Community Health Bureau Manager, and Homeless Services Division Officer. During her tenure, she managed multimillion-dollar budgets, large and diverse teams, complex grant-funded programs, and extensive community partnerships. She successfully expanded homelessness funding resources, led public health and community wellness initiatives, strengthened organizational capacity, and helped shape regional homelessness, housing and human services strategies.

A skilled facilitator, communicator, and strategist, Susan has extensive experience working with elected officials, boards and commissions, executive leadership teams, community organizations, and regional coalitions. She is known for her ability to navigate politically sensitive issues, build trust among stakeholders, and guide collaborative decision-making processes that lead to meaningful and lasting results.

Susan holds a Master of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology from California State University, Long Beach. She has received numerous professional recognitions throughout her career, including being named one of Orange County’s 100 Most Influential Leaders and receiving awards for community collaboration, homelessness innovation, and regional leadership.

At MRG, Susan partners with public agencies to strengthen organizational effectiveness, develop collaborative solutions to complex community challenges regarding homelessness, advancing key housing and homelessness strategies, facilitate stakeholder engagement efforts, and support leaders in creating resilient and responsive public service organizations.