Who is Suzanne Gavenus?

Suzanne Gavenus planted roots in the mountains of North Carolina more than 30 years ago, when she took on a role in Avery County at New River Behavioral Health as a Child and Adolescent Therapist. She fell in love with Western NC and began to grow her career and her family here. Suzanne and her husband consider Burnsville home — the place where they raised their three children, built a life together, and became part of a deeply connected mountain community.

Suzanne spent her career working in complex systems—behavioral healthcare, education, and public institutions—where collaboration, accountability, and problem-solving matter.  Her background is exactly what equips her for office. As a licensed clinical social worker and administrator, she is well practiced in how to listen, evaluate needs, and build solutions that work in the real world, not just on paper.

As a clinician, supervisor, and administrator, Suzanne has supported real people through crisis intervention, therapy, prevention programs, and long-term advocacy. This work has given her a clear understanding of the challenges facing rural mountain communities—from access to healthcare and childcare to educator retention, disaster recovery, and economic stability. 

In addition to her own work, Suzanne’s family reflects a pillar of her values: service. Her oldest son is an Army Veteran who now works for the Veterans Administration, while her second son is active duty as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Her daughter is pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Resilience to protect our environment, and preserve places with immense beauty like the Appalachian Mountains. 

Suzanne is running for office to give NC District 85 fresh energy. With practical solutions, she’ll fight to solve the issues she’s seen her whole career. She’ll advocate for access to healthcare and mental health services, affordability with housing, and childcare. She’ll seek results to alleviate the pains of rising costs of daily living expenses and disaster recovery. Suzanne planted roots in Western North Carolina because of strong mountain communities, and she wants to bring the energy to help them grow!