Most days, Sue contributes in the classroom at NMSU where she teaches as an associate professor in the Department of Health Science.

“I love teaching. It is such an exciting thing to touch people and to know I am impacting the next generation regarding health and wellness,” Sue says.

One class Sue teaches is the field experience class in which students go out into the community to work within an organization.

“It allows them to take what they learned in the classroom out into the community and it allows the community to see what health education looks like,” Sue says about a field that she has been part of for over 30 years, including working in nonprofit organizations. In 1982, Sue established the Battered Family Services in Gallup, the first time she worked in a tribal area. “Health educators have an opportunity to share information with people so they can prevent diseases. We are the key to prevention and early intervention.”

Sue’s first shot at major community volunteerism started in Columbia, South America as a Peace Corps volunteer working in the field of malaria eradication, and later in a small clinic as the assistant administrator. For months, Sue looked at blood slides to see if people were infected with malaria. It is also where she met her husband, Warren Cox. Following Columbia and later, her graduation from the University of Hawaii with her Masters of Public Health degree, Sue and Warren moved to New Mexico so he could obtain his Master’s degree in Hydrology at New Mexico Tech.

Sue has worked in nonprofit organizations in New Mexico and served with various tribal groups in New Mexico and Nevada as their health director. Sue earned her doctorate at University of New Mexico and has been with NMSU for eight years. While still living in Albuquerque, Sue commutes to Las Cruces every Monday, returning home to her husband, who works at Sandia National Labs, every Friday. The commute highlights Sue’s dedication to the area and her students; her dedication is acknowledged by the students that love her and the management she works for. In 2006, Sue received the Donald C. Roush Excellence in Teaching Award, which is determined by both students and administration.

At NMSU, Sue’s experience in the field and focus on program planning, foundations of public health, rural health and field experience helps students understand what it is like outside of the classroom. Whether she is collecting data to help the people of the Alamo Navajo Band increase the resources they need to garden or talking about the mistakes she made as a young professional, Sue is offering more than a lesson.

“When I moved to New Mexico and began working with nonprofits, I was learning 24-7,” Sue says as she relates her experience to her students’ education. “I want to offer what I can to see successful students have the power to go into the community and impact the lives of others.”

When not teaching, Sue is continuing her focus on community. She is the co-founder and coordinator of the Peace Corps Fellows Program within the College of Health and Social Services, which allows 8-10 students per year to work towards their master’s degree after completing their Peace Corps tour. She has served as a board member for the Make-A-Wish Foundation for 12 years and has been a wish granter for 16 years, granting over 300 wishes to New Mexico children.

“It’s a real honor to be with the kids and their families,” Sue says of the times she spends with children who have life-threatening illnesses or conditions and the opportunities she has to help their wishes come true. “It truly is the power of a wish and it is amazing to see their excitement.”

To Sue, the classrooms and the communities she has worked in are invigorating.

“I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing because I love it,” Sue says. “I love the students and having that interaction with the community and I love paying it forward. That’s what all about.”