When Susan Langer joined the Goodhue County Habitat for Humanity Board just over a year ago, she brought more than experience in leadership, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit development. She brought a deep conviction that building homes is really about building people and strengthening communities.

Executive Director Bob Hawley has witnessed that impact firsthand.

“In Susan’s brief time on the Habitat Board, she has shined as a leader with energy and creativity and has been an important part of our Hope Heights Campaign.”

For Susan, Habitat’s mission extends far beyond construction.

“One of my favorite things about Habitat is that when you put on a tool belt, you don’t have a title anymore,” she says. “You’re simply working alongside someone else toward a common purpose.”

That spirit of service is rooted in faith.

“Building together side by side goes beyond what you see on the surface. Before we build, we pray. After we build, we pray. Before every board meeting, we pray. Habitat creates opportunities to bring God’s love and light into our community. Yes, we’re building homes—but something much deeper and more transformative happens in the process. We are truly being the hands and feet of Jesus.”

Susan serves on Habitat’s Marketing and Finance Committee and the Hope Heights Advisory Council, where she enjoys collaborating with board members from throughout Goodhue County.

“It’s a beautiful, eclectic group of people who are deeply passionate about Habitat’s mission. I leave every meeting encouraged.”

She also has tremendous respect for Executive Director Bob Hawley.

“Bob is Mr. Steady Eddie. You can’t ruffle his feathers if you tried. He has remarkable perseverance, incredible grace, and a technical mind perfectly suited for this work. Most importantly, his heart for the Lord is matchless.”

Although Susan now serves as Executive Director of Ignite in Red Wing, her path to leadership has been anything but ordinary.

She grew up just across the Mississippi River in Bay City, Wisconsin, and left the area two days after graduating high school, convinced she would never return. Her career led her to Arizona, then to Minneapolis, where she worked in marketing for US Bank, Periscope, and later founded her own agency, Mosaic Marketing.

At age forty, Susan moved to New York City—just two and a half weeks before the September 11 attacks. The consulting contract that had brought her there disappeared overnight.

That unexpected turn opened another door.

World Vision, an international Christian humanitarian organization she had previously traveled with, invited her to join its staff. The opportunity became one of the defining experiences of her life.

While serving with World Vision, Susan traveled extensively in Africa, where she met women living in extreme poverty who were building businesses through microloans.

“They were living on less than a dollar a day, yet they were repaying their loans at a 99 percent repayment rate,” she recalls. “What fascinated me wasn’t just the repayment—it was the transformation. Their confidence grew. They became leaders in their communities.”

That experience planted the seed for what would eventually become SPAVE, the financial technology company she later founded.

“I started wondering how we could use everyday spending to help people save for their future while also giving generously to others. That simple question eventually became SPAVE.”

Her entrepreneurial journey eventually brought her to Red Wing Ignite, where she launched the company. Today, life has come full circle as she now leads the very organization that helped her get started.

Returning home also reunited her with her high school sweetheart, Gary. Less than two months after reconnecting at a family reunion, they were married.

The move back to southeastern Minnesota also gave Susan something she treasures deeply.

“It allowed me to spend precious years with my parents before my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Today, caring for my parents is one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

Living just blocks from the Hope Heights development has given Susan a unique appreciation for Habitat’s vision.

“Neighborhoods are about neighbors. Hope Heights preserves everything that’s beautiful about this historic part of Red Wing while creating opportunities for families to achieve the dream of homeownership. Watching these homes rise has been inspiring.”

She believes the development offers something that extends well beyond affordable housing.

“When people build together, conversations naturally happen. CEOs work alongside employees. Church members build with neighbors they’ve never met. Those relationships become friendships, and communities grow stronger.”

As Habitat continues its Hope Heights Capital Campaign, Susan sees fundraising much the same way.

“I’m passionate about fundraising because it isn’t about asking people for money. It’s about inviting them into something meaningful. Whether someone gives financially, volunteers their time, or contributes their talents, they’re participating in God’s work. It’s always a matter of the heart.”

For Susan, Habitat for Humanity represents something far greater than constructing houses.

“It’s about loving our neighbors, strengthening our communities, and creating places where families can flourish for generations.”

And that, she believes, is a foundation worth building together.