From Service to Scholarship:
Colonel (Ret.) Susan Camoroda’s Lifelong Commitment to Public Service
Honoring Veterans Day with IMRP Graduate Assistant, UConn School of Public Policy
For Susan Camoroda, service has always been more than a duty – it’s a way of life. A retired U.S. Army Colonel with 30 years of commissioned service, Camoroda now brings her leadership and sense of mission to the University of Connecticut’s School of Public Policy (SPP) where she is an MPA Fellow and at the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) where she works part-time as a graduate research assistant.
Originally from Fresno, California, Camoroda earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fresno, where she joined the ROTC program, citing the movie An Officer and a Gentleman, her time as a Girl Scout, and visiting a Naval Air Station as early influences.What began as curiosity turned into a decades long adventure across continents.
After commissioning in 1985, Camoroda served in Germany before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in South Korea, and in multiple U.S. installations. Following a brief release from active duty during the military’s downsizing in the late 1990s, she rejoined after 9/11 to support operations at the Pentagon and across the National Guard Bureau, eventually retiring as a Colonel in 2015.
Among her proudest experiences, she names the teamwork and camaraderie forged during her years at the Army Operations Center: “We all worked as a team to brief leadership, prepare orders, coordinate deployments. The teamwork and dedication were unforgettable.”
Today, teamwork continues to define Camoroda’s next chapter. A current student in SPP’s Executive MPA Fellows Program with plans to also pursue a master’s in social work, she thrives on the cohort model that mirrors the unity she valued in the military. “It feels like a team,” she says of her Fellows group, “And that’s what I like most.”
Through her graduate research assistantship with Dr. Lydia Wileden at IMRP, Camoroda is contributing to two state-level studies related to veterans’ policy. One examines the fiscal impact of Connecticut’s expanded veterans’ property tax exemption, while the other assesses the Municipal Veterans Representative program’s effectiveness.
“These projects connect directly to my experience,” she explains. “It’s meaningful to help identify ways the state can better support those who have served.”
Camoroda remains deeply active in veterans’ communities. Since moving to Connecticut in 2021, she has volunteered with local Veterans Coffee Houses, joined the American Legion in Marlborough, and serves with the Veterans Funeral Honor Guard in Colchester. She also works part-time at a local bakery in Vernon where she bakes bread. “It feels good to know you are helping feed people,” she says.
As Veterans Day approaches, Camoroda hopes people will take a moment to reflect on the deeper meaning of service. “What’s most meaningful is remembering what this country is about – the lessons of history, the honor, dedication, and sacrifice that military members and their families provide to support and defend the Constitution,” she says.
That sense of purpose continues to drive her academic and professional path. “Whether in uniform or in the community, service is about belonging, learning, and contributing to something greater than yourself,” she explains.
With her trademark humility, Camoroda says she’ll “see where the winds take me” after completing her graduate degrees. But one thing is clear: wherever those winds blow, they’ll carry the same spirit of service that has guided her all along.