I would like to nominate Susan Gilbert as a City of Tucker Citizen of the Month. Susan and her family officially became Tucker residents a few years ago. Susan is unique as she is both a business leader, as well as a community volunteer and leader.
Susan is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apogee Interactive, Inc., which is known across the energy utility industry as the leading provider of energy saving software. Apogee Interactive is also located in Tucker. Prior to this, she trained energy auditors from coast to coast and helped launch energy audit programs for businesses across Georgia under a newly established State Energy Office initiative. Susan is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a major in physics and a minor in mathematics. Her first job after college was teaching at Lithonia High School here in DeKalb County.
Susan is extremely active in the Smoke Rise community. She writes for and is secretary of the Smoke Signal, which has been published monthly for over 50 years. Susan is a member of the Board of Directors of the Smoke Rise Country Club and has been instrumental in keeping it alive and thriving during the pandemic. She is a leader in the Kanawha Community Association and is responsible for organizing neighborhood team captains throughout that community. Susan is a trustee of Georgia’s Developmental Disabilities Ministries (DDM), a nonprofit charitable corporation serving adults with developmental disabilities and their families.
She is a member of the Smoke Rise Baptist Church and serves as a deacon and member of the financial committee. What I find extremely interesting is what Susan has done with a Sunday school class at Smoke Rise Baptist. The Discovery Class, before the pandemic when we went to church in person, had on a regular Sunday about 30 members. Now with Susan leading the Discovery Zoom Class, there are upwards of 60 class members each week. Many come from all over including class attendees from Alabama, New York, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee – all due to Susan’s leadership. Many, including myself, are not Smoke Rise Baptist Church members, but are drawn to the Zoom class.
Nomination by Frank Luton
