More about Cheryl | Cheryl Sudduth

“Si no estás sentado a la mesa,

no puede establacer las prioridades ni la agenda.

Además, si no estás sentado a la mesa,

o estás en el menú

o alguien está ordenando para usted."

[If you’re not sitting at the table, you cannot set the priorities or the agenda.

or if you’re not sitting at the table, you’re either on the menu or someone’s ordering for you.]

Mamí. Activist. Mentor. Community Leader. Organizer.

disAbilities Rights Advocate. Justice Guerrera/ Justice Warrior.

Director Sudduth is a Sr. Government Contracts & Compliance Director, International Negotiator, Mediator, and Compliance Officer, with nearly 30 years of business and legal experience, serving in a broad array of senior management roles in the commercial, private & public sectors.

A University of Illinois alum (Cellular & Molecular Biology and Biochemistry), she is an intentionalist and a committed, proactive environmental scientist.

Director Sudduth was elected to the West County Wastewater District Board in November 2018 and currently serves as Board Vice-President and Parliamentarian for the second time (immediate past President), as well as Chair of the affiliated West County Agency (joint partnership with the City of Richmond).

Dilo. Hazlo. Pruébalo. Say it. Do it. Prove it.

Throughout her tenure on the Board, she has been a Leader in diligently establishing and maintaining civil discourse, collaborating with and/empowering management/staff, promoting transparency and shared governance, and has been a proactive, thoughtful, forward-thinking leader, and problem-solver.
Director Sudduth has been a strong proponent for fiscal prudence, equity in contracting and procurement processes & awards, fair labor negotiations and employment agreements, wise spending of the Peoples’ money, balanced operating & capital budgets, and assuring significantly reduced unfunded liabilities.

Her insistence on diligent and disciplined processes, procedures and fiscal responsibility has led to sound financial positioning for the District and excellent credit ratings, saving the agency nearly $4M annually from better interest rates.

She represents the Board and community at the highest levels of government

to advocate for and deliver much-needed community services and resources.

"When you are asked to look up,

never lose sight of what is on the ground."

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.” -Native American proverb

My Story

"A great leader is an ordinary person with extraordinary wisdom." ~Malawian Proverb

As a Mom,

Wife of a Longshoreman,

Environmental Scientist/Biochemist, and a

Business and Community Leader,

I’ve dedicated my life to driving change.

As Board President & Vice-President (Chair & Vice-Chair of the affiliated West County Agency),

I’ve led us to accomplish transformative work, updating 5y strategic plan; rewriting mission/vision/goals;

drafting Climate Action Plans; completing a 5y sewer rate plan; successful 218 process;

creating Purchasing/Investment/Reserve policies & agency’s first Debt policy; Clean & Green Projects;

GFOA Excellence Awards…

“I’m very proud to be Black, to be Brown, to be a Woman, a Person with disAbilities, but that is not all I am.

That’s my culture, my ethnicity, my historical background, my genetic makeup, my physical disposition,

but it’s not all of who I am nor is it the basis from which I see every aspect of life or answer every question.

I use all of my lived experiences - as a Mom, as a Woman, as a Person with disAbilities, as a scientist and intellect,

as one who has experienced traumas of rape and sexual assault, as a thriver of other unspeakable torture...

I stand resilient, showing up in my power, determined to be Someone strong and powerful

who happens to have disAbilities who fights to amplify voices of others to let the world know...

We.

Are.

Here.”

-Dir. Cheryl Sudduth