2025 Ambassador
Susanna Barton
"It is such an honor to support the work of Seniors on a Mission as an ambassador. Through my master's in Gerontology studies and from personal experiences, I am astutely aware of how important community, purpose, connection and service are to a happy, meaningful and healthy second half. These are foundational inputs, and we are so fortunate in Northeast Florida to have Seniors on a Mission promoting them and providing lifechanging opportunities for older adults in our community. And it doesn't stop there. The organization is on a mission to apply these same principles of well being to senior living in our community. The G3 Village plan is an exceptional model of applying community, purpose, connection and service to a nonprofit residential experience for older adults. This thoughtful, pioneering development plan is an effective model for communities across the country and it is a blessing to watch it unfold in our own backyard."
Longtime Jacksonville resident and writer Susanna Barton enjoys normalizing healthy conversations about aging and being prepared for it. Founder of the Grand Plans online community and host of the podcast “Grand Plans,” Barton published her groundbreaking book, Grand Plans: How to Mitigate Geri-Drama in 20 Easy Steps and its accompanying workbook, the Grand Planner, in 2023 following a challenging caregiving crisis for the parents of a deceased childhood friend and the aftermath of her own parents’ unexpected passing in 1992 and 2021. In addition to curating posts, stories and resources about successful aging strategies on her website mygrandplans.com, Barton also publishes a bimonthly newsletter and is a guest columnist for several online and print publications including New York-based agebuzz, UK-based Sixty & Me, First Coast Senior Living and The Resident Community News. In June 2023, Barton was named to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s subcommittee eldercare issues to help older adults in the community access senior resources. ​
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A native of San Antonio TX and graduate of Hollins College in Roanoke, VA, Barton has written and edited professionally for The Austin Business Journal, The Jacksonville Business Journal and The Resident, a monthly newspaper in Jacksonville FL for which she writes a popular column on gratitude. She has written for several nonprofit organizations during her writing career in Florida including the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, Jacksonville University and The Bolles School, where she worked for 10 years in independent school communications and public relations. A lifelong learner, Barton is pursuing a master’s of science in Gerontology degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and expects to graduate in the Fall of 2025.
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Community service and an “others-focused” attitude has long been a priority and personal mission. Barton has served on the boards of several organizations during her 30-year residence in Jacksonville including Greenscape, the San Marco Preservation Society and Girls Inc. Barton also was elected senior warden of the All Saints Episcopal Church vestry during a pivotal time of church leadership during the late 2000s and has been a dedicated volunteer for numerous organizations over the years including The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Solace for the Children and her children’s schools, Riverside Presbyterian Day School and The Bolles School. She was a member of the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida Philanthropic Initiative’s 2011 class and currently enjoys learning more about ways she can support Seniors on a Mission and its important work in Northeast Florida.
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An empty-nester and mother of two awesome grown-and-flown 20-somethings, Susanna and her husband, David, live in San Marco and love spending time together at the beach, in South Georgia and in Lake Toxaway, NC.