Susanna worked as a social researcher until her early 30s, when she became convicted to change direction and pursue a vocational ministry path. A self-confessed 'word-nerd', she quickly came to see Bible translation as a good fit for her interests and skills in service of God's kingdom. After completing a theology degree at Moore College, Sydney, Susanna joined Wycliffe Australia in 2016, completed her SIL training at Redcliffe College in the UK, then took a two-year hiatus in order to work on a book-writing project before departing for the field.

Susanna began an assignment with SIL Ethiopia in March 2020, but the COVID-19 crisis forced her to relocate to the UK after only ten days. In early 2021, she returned to Australia to take up an assignment with the Australian Society for Indigenous Languages (AuSIL) in Darwin, assisting with the development of the Plain English Version (PEV) Bible for Indigenous language speakers.