10/09/2026
Story County is excited to announce our 2026 Citizen of the Year, Susan Moore. Moore demonstrates her commitment to the Story County community through her professional and volunteer work in mental health, substance use care, and homelessness support.
Moore’s “focus on solution-oriented strategies has led to the development of creative programming,” according to one of Moore’s nominators. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Homeless Outreach and Support Team (HOST), a collaborative initiative that shares resources and promotes housing stability among Story County residents. Moore also has been a key volunteer in The Warming Place, a new initiative to ensure that unhoused individuals have a warm place to stay during the coldest nights. In addition to serving as an on-call volunteer to assist overnight shift volunteers in dealing with any difficult situations, she also frequently helped cover shifts when a second volunteer could not be found (protocol requires a minimum of 2 volunteers on site).
Moore also serves the County community through a range of other organizations and initiatives. Moore is currently on the Board of Center for Creative Justice, is involved in The Red Shirt Foundation, was active in the Community Conversations on Mental Health series and the Homeless Action Report Forum and regularly trains local service providers on Mental Health First Aid. As a social worker in the Behavioral Health Unit at Mary Greeley Medical Center and a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor, Moore also is known for facilitating effective group sessions, including for those with co-occurring disorders.
In all settings, Moore is known for her abilities in building relationships, promoting collaboration, ensuring that all voices are heard, advocating effectively, and inspiring others to join in. As another nominator stated, “she approaches each person with compassion, dignity, and a genuine commitment to helping them succeed.” Additionally, Moore is heralded as a mentor by other service providers and as someone who “goes above and beyond” in all her involvements.
