Susan McDowell is Executive Director of LifeWorks, a youth and family service organization in Austin, Texas that provides a continuum of support for youth and families facing issues such as homelessness, abuse, poverty, emancipation from foster care, and mental health challenges at a very young age. Susan is active in numerous civic organizations and regional health and human service planning initiatives. She currently serves on the Board for the Children’s Optimal Health Coalition and Membership Council of the Ending Community Homelessness Organization. She has served on the Boards of the Women’s Giving Network of United Way,Spirit Reins, the Community Action Network, One Voice Central Texas, and Leadership Austin. Susan has been awarded “Austinite (Under 40) of the Year” by the Young Men’s Business League and Young Women’s Alliance and “Central Texas Social Entrepreneur of the Year,” by Ernst and Young. She participated in the 2007 Marshall Memorial Fellowship Program and was named "Best Community Visionary" by the Austin Chronicle in 2008. Susan holds a B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas-Austin, respectively.
About LifeWorks
LifeWorks is a fearless advocate for youth and families who are seeking their paths to self-sufficiency. LifeWorks formed in in 1998 through the merger of four longstanding community agencies that streamlined resources to provide a more efficient way of serving overlapping client populations.
Lifework serves more than 10,000 youth and their families each year through its four Divisions: The Housing Division provides a continuum of outreach and residential services for homelessness and runaway youth. TheEducation/Workforce Division provides critical educational services such as Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, GED, as well as workforce training. The Youth Development Division provides social and emotional learning and skill-building to help youth and young adults avoid crisis and develop into strong, healthy citizens. The Counseling Division is Travis County’s largest source of free and sliding fee scale counseling and provides access to psychiatric services to children and families.
Featured Lunch Menu:
Beef Tips over Rice
Steamed Carrots
Turnip Greens
Dessert: Lemon Cake
Meals provided by Manny Sifuentes, manager at Cafe del Rio, a business staffed by the Commission of the Blind
Please register by 5 p.m. on Tuesday
We order meals based on your reservations and must pay for them even if you do not show up. Please keep this in mind if your plans shift and cancel your reservation so we can adjust the headcount.
