Board of Trustees 
Trustee Susan Bywater
Ward 1
sbywater@retsd.mb.ca
Ward 1 Schools
- Arthur Day Middle School
- Bernie Wolfe School
- Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau
- École Centrale
- École Margaret-Underhill
- École Regent Park
- Harold Hatcher School
- John W. Gunn Middle School
- Murdoch MacKay Collegiate
- Radisson School
- Transcona Collegiate
- Wayoata School
- Westview School
Susan was elected to the RETSD Board of Trustees in October 2026. She is passionate about making sure students get the best education possible. For over 27 years, she has worked as a speech-language pathologist, including over 12 years in the Sunrise School Division where she helped students and their families access the education and services they needed to thrive. This experience helped her build a strong understanding of how policy, program, and budgetary decisions affect students, families, teachers, administrators, support staff, and families.
Working in speech-language pathology requires collaboration and communication with other professionals, students, and families to find solutions that support individual student learning and strengthen school communities. Susan understands the importance of listening, collaborating, and making thoughtful decisions as part of a team — and the impact this can have on a student’s education and the system as a whole. She feels confident that her experience has given her practical knowledge about the challenges schools face and the opportunities we have to help every student succeed.
Although Susan lived in the U.S. for a few years, she has always called Transcona "home." Her grandparents were long-time Transcona residents and her mother graduated from Transcona Collegiate before it moved to its current location. Susan herself attended the Ukrainian program at Regent Park and John Gunn, and then she graduated from Transcona Collegiate. Her children also attended RETSD schools with both recently graduating from Transcona Collegiate.
Susan says that being a trustee isn't about politics. It's about making sure the voices of RETSD families are heard at the board table — and that every decision puts students first. Three priorities guide her in her role as a trustee: academic success, student support, and community involvement. She says these priorities are rooted in what she has heard from families, educators, and neighbours in Transcona.
