Susana Almanza is founding member and Director of PODER (People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources). PODER is a grassroots environmental economic and social justice organization that works with neighborhood organizations, regulatory agencies and elected officials. PODER was instrumental in the relocation of the East Austin Tank Farm and in closing the Holly Street Power Plant, which were both located in residential areas. Susana is a native of East Austin, Texas. She is a longtime community organizer. She participated in the civil rights movement as a Brown Beret taking on issues of police brutality, quality education, equity in school systems, and health care. She continues her struggle for human rights demanding environmental justice and a better quality of life for people of color, for all humanity, and for future generations. Susana is the former coordinator of the Electronic Industry Good Neighbor Campaign (EIGNC), which is a campaign to bring together community, labor, and environmental organizations, and to demand a genuine democratic approach to high tech development that begins with community and worker empowerment.
She served as co-chair of the Southwest Network for Environment and Economic Justice (SNEEJ). She is a founding member of the Texas Network of Environment and Economic Justice. The Texas Network was formed to provide a unique opportunity for people of color, in Texas, to build a unified voice and offer direction and leadership for the future.