Susanne Young, a veteran civil servant and top cabinet official, is retiring after more than 40 years in Vermont state government.
Gov. Phil Scott announced Friday that Young, his secretary of administration, plans to step down in November.
“I’m not aware of anyone who has demonstrated a deeper commitment to public service than Susanne Young,” Scott said in a written statement. “Susanne’s expertise, dedication, common sense and humor will be sorely missed, and I wish her the very best in her well-earned retirement.”
The governor did not immediately announce a successor, though he said Deputy Administration Secretary Kristin Clouser would step in on an interim basis.
As secretary of administration, Young has overseen broad swaths of state government while generally avoiding the limelight. The position is often seen as one of two top positions in any gubernatorial administration, alongside chief of staff. Young has specifically overseen departments charged with state budgeting, human resources, government buildings and others.
In addition to the customary aspects of the job, Young has helped manage “historic levels of federal aid,” Scott’s office said in a press release announcing her departure, “and the deployment of hundreds of millions to respond to the pandemic and its economic impacts.”
Before heading the Agency of Administration, Young served as then-Attorney General Bill Sorrell’s top deputy. She was legal counsel to then-Gov. Jim Douglas and was Douglas’ deputy when he was state treasurer. A graduate of Vermont Law School, Young also worked in the Department of Corrections and other branches of the Agency of Human Services.
In Friday’s announcement, Young said she had been “blessed with a long and diverse 40-year career in service to the people of Vermont.” She said her role as secretary of administration was “undoubtedly … the most challenging yet” but also “the most rewarding.”
“I am proud and humbled by the opportunity to be part of an incredible team of dedicated, focused individuals who have worked to achieve Gov. Scott’s goals while meeting the unexpected challenges presented by the pandemic head on,” she said.
