Susan Kirsch is a community organizer, political activist, strategist and expert process facilitator. She sharpened her skills with the creation of Livable California in 2018 in response to three needs: 1) Reduce the power of regional and state agencies to clobber the wishes of local community groups and elected officials; 2) Increase the power and influence of slow-growth groups by fostering collaboration; and 3) Increase the influence of like-minded groups among legislators through education, engagement and empowerment. The outcome: Livable California demonstrated working smarter, not just harder and is credited with defeating SB-50 (Sen Scott Wiener's effort to promote high density housing near transit). Susan is a frequent contributor to CalMatters and The Marin Post. Twice she has been a guest on Michael Krasny's Forum on KQED. She is former president of The Marin Coalition, ran for a seat on the Marin Board of Supervisors in 2016, serves on the Advisory Board of Marin's Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers (COST), and is a coordinator for the Marin Chapter of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). She grew up on a farm in Minnesota, has two adult children, and gardens for pleasure.