Susana M. Peñaranda serves as a Project Manager for the City of Miami’s Department of Human Services. She has developed a series of programs aimed at advancing social equity and enhancing quality of life indicators among low-income children, families, and seniors.
In 2016, Susana established community partnerships and launched the City’s first Health Initiative. The Health Initiative provides health screenings, education, and workforce opportunities to residents; at no-cost. Since 2018, the initiative has expanded partnerships to include Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Heart Institute to provide free pediatric EKG screenings to detect any heart abnormalities to lower the number of children collapsing due to physical activity with unknown heart conditions for children ages 5-21. The program has reached 1,696 children enrolled in various summer camp sites, has detected 29 heart abnormalities, and brought over $734,368.00 of in-kind savings to city residents. Today, the City’s Health Initiative has impacted 16,685 residents and has saved them over $2.5 million dollars.
Susana also supervises the City’s three Child Learning Centers. The Centers focuses on delivering high-quality educational, developmental, and social services to children from six weeks to four years old. She has developed a comprehensive infrastructure to offer families and children accessibility to comprehensive social service resources preparing each child to achieve long-term academic success. She implemented a Tuition-Free program at each center providing financial relief to over 78 families facing financial difficulties in affording high-quality childcare as a result of the health pandemic. An additional $500,000 was secured through the American Rescue Plan to extend the Tuition-Free Program for working families until 2023.
Civic engagement is another area of priority for Susana. In 2021, she co-developed and launched City of Miami Empower 60; a 4-week academy designed for older adults, residents ages 60 and above to learn the best practices of engaging and working with local government. EMPOWER60 increases resident engagement, educates neighbors about local government’s role and impact, and promotes engagement and service deliveries of governmental services.
Susana holds a Masters in Public Administration from Barry University. She received a B.A in International Relations and a Certificate in European Studies from Florida International University. She has a Professional Project Management Certificate from the University of Miami.
To Learn More about the City of Miami’s Department of Human Services
