Mayor Sue Zwahlen

Bio

Sue Zwahlen was elected Mayor of Modesto in February, 2021.

Sue is a former two-term member of the Modesto City Schools Board, who was first elected in 2009, re-elected in 2013, and served two terms as president of the Board.

As a mother of six children who attended local public schools, Sue spent many years volunteering in the classroom. During her tenure on the school board, the district’s graduation rates increased from 75% to 87.6%, and suspension rates dropped by 8.4% to an all new low of 4.46%.

Sue is also a 40-year registered nurse, who spent most of her career in the Emergency Room of Doctor’s Medical Center. She graduated from Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing in Oakland in 1975 and has held several demanding nursing certifications, including ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), and PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support).

Sue is a lifelong Modesto resident and a fourth generation Californian from Portuguese and Swiss-German immigrant dairy farmers, who settled in the Modesto area in the early 1900’s. She and her husband, Lynn – a well-known Modesto dentist and long-time football coach at Davis and Downey High Schools – have six grown children and 10 grandchildren. They have lived for 39 years in the same College area neighborhood where Sue grew up.

Elected Experience

Modesto City Schools Board of Education Trustee
2009-Present; Board Vice President 2009-10 and 2015-16
Board President, 2010-11 and 2016-17

Committee Appointments

Safety and Communities Committee - Member
Economic Development Committee - Chair
Audit Committee - Chair

Community Involvement, Member or Former Member

Stanislaus County Committee on School District Organization
Association of Stanislaus County School Board (ASCSB), Executive Committee, Director of Area 9
California Suburban School Districts Association (CALSSD)
Hispanic Leadership Council
Latino Community Roundtable
Friends of Modesto Library
Stanislaus League of Women Voters
31-year Modesto City Schools parent volunteer
Stanislaus County Democratic Women’s Club
Stanislaus County Commission for Women
Student Mentoring, Sierra Vista Child and Family Services, 2014 – 2018
Girls Advisory Council, Stanislaus County Probation Department
Congressman Josh Harder’s Multicultural Advisory Committee member
Love Modesto
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Director of Public Affairs
Stanislaus County Focus on Prevention for Homelessness – Strengthening Families Action Council
Stanislaus County Interfaith Council (SCIC)
Just Serve Committee
City Ministry Network Catalyst
Interfaith Ministries, 2nd Vice President and 20-year Board member
Past Assistant District Commissioner and Cub Scout Den Leader, Boy Scouts of America