Susan holds a B.S. in Communications from Boston University and an A.S. in Viticulture from Napa Valley College. She is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Specialist in Wine/Wine Education with the Society of Wine Educators and was awarded a DMA (Direct Marketing Association) award for strategic excellence. She is the marketing columnist for Grapevine Magazine and a frequent freelance writer and speaker at conferences. Susan also is a marketing instructor at the WISE Academy as well as Napa Valley Community College, and a repeat lecturer at the Institute for Enology & Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College and California Polytechnic State University. She is currently collaborating on two marketing and sales textbooks.

In 2012 Susan started WineGlass Marketing, a full-service direct marketing agency for the alcohol space. Her firm, now in its eleventh year, is based in downtown Napa and supports domestic and international wine and spirits clients with both B2B and DTC marketing in digital as well as traditional channels.