Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Rubio Rivera.
Hi Susan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
At the age of five, I witnessed the horrific violence my mother endured in her marriage. My three siblings and I grew up in a migrant farmworker family, traveling throughout the East Coast while our parents worked in the fields. Our home base was in southern Texas, close to the Mexican border. Even as a young child, a small voice inside me said that I wanted a different life — one where I pursued education, avoided the hardships my mother faced, and created new opportunities for myself.
When we later returned to my maternal grandparents’ home, my sisters and I experienced additional harm that deeply affected us. We were all sexually molested by my grandfather. These early experiences shaped my understanding of the challenges many families face and planted the seed for the work I would one day do.
Despite the promises I made to myself as a child, life unfolded differently. At sixteen, I left school in the ninth grade and eloped with my boyfriend, who was also a young migrant worker. We continued working in the fields, and by seventeen I had my first daughter. At nineteen, I arrived in Homestead, Florida with two small children — a six-month-old son and a two-year-old daughter — and I felt as though my future was already set. Everything I once said I would not do, I had done.
But in July of 1975, my life changed direction. I walked into a nonprofit organization called Organized Migrants in Community Action (OMICA), and that day marked the beginning of a new chapter. I discovered a passion for advocating for migrant families and addressing the injustices faced by communities like the one I came from. Although the difficult experiences from my childhood were still part of my story, they helped me understand the importance of supporting families dealing with domestic and family violence.
After twenty years of work with OMICA, I saw a significant gap in services for families affected by abuse and trauma. It took years of learning, growing, and gaining confidence before I felt ready to create the kind of organization our community truly needed. Over three decades, I returned to school — earning the high-school diploma I once believed was out of reach and eventually completing a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University. As a Lou Stokes Fellow, I traveled to Cleveland numerous times while simultaneously building a new nonprofit.
That organization became Mujeres Unidas en Justicia, Educación y Reforma, Inc. (Women United in Justice, Education, and Reform) — MUJER. In 2026, we will celebrate 30 years of providing comprehensive, culturally responsive services to families in our community.
In 2024, we purchased a 32,000-square-foot building, now known as The Healing Sanctuary. Our vision is to create a collaborative community space where multiple organizations can come together to support individuals and families affected by domestic violence, sexual abuse, and trauma. It represents the fulfillment of a dream I carried since childhood — a vision of healing, justice, and opportunity for those who need it most.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My first struggle was an internal one. At nineteen, I felt my life was over. I had no sense of self-worth and carried the responsibility of raising two young children with very limited work experience. Growing up as a farmworker, I had been conditioned to believe that people like me were not meant to achieve much. But along the way, a few individuals saw something in me that I could not yet see in myself. They recognized my potential, encouraged my growth, and helped me rebuild the confidence I thought I would never have. Little by little, I began to believe that I truly could accomplish anything I set my mind to.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
MUJER, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in South Miami-Dade County, specializing in trauma-informed care for adults and children affected by domestic violence and sexual abuse. We are recognized for our comprehensive, collaborative service model, built on strong partnerships that allow us to address the complex needs of families in crisis.
MUJER has a long-standing reputation for bringing community partners together, fostering coordinated responses to the issues that impact the families we serve. We are known for treating every individual with dignity, respect, and compassion — values that guide all aspects of our work.
As one of only two certified rape crisis centers in Miami-Dade County, MUJER provides critical, life-changing services across our region. Our brand symbol, the phoenix, reflects our core belief in resilience: the courage to heal and the strength to survive.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Eva Sanchez is the first person to whom I credit my personal and professional growth. She supported me, believed in my potential, and helped me see possibilities I never imagined for myself.
Juanita Mainster played a pivotal role by sending me the Louis Stokes Fellowship scholarship application and encouraging me to apply for a full scholarship to pursue my master’s degree. Out of more than 750 applicants from across the country, I was honored to be selected as one of only five recipients.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava believed in both me and my vision for creating MUJER. She nominated me for the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Leadership Award, which ultimately brought a transformative $120,000 gift to our organization. After 30 years, she continues to support our work in the community.
Steve Kirk, CEO of Rural Neighborhoods, supported me throughout the negotiation process to acquire The Healing Sanctuary and continues to guide me as a mentor in countless ways.
McKenzie Scott who recognized our work in the community and provided a gift of $1 million to sustain our work.
I am also deeply grateful to our foundation partners — including The Miami Foundation, the DeLuca Foundation, and United Way — whose belief in our mission has sustained and strengthened our work in the community.
Above all, my family — my husband and children — are my greatest cheerleaders. They celebrate every milestone with me and offer their strength and support through every challenge. Their love is the foundation that allows me to continue this work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mujerfla.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mujerinc/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mujerfla
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mujerflainc/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/mujerfla
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@susanrubiorivera9679
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Mujerflainc
Image Credits
Photo 1. Susan J Rubio Rivera, Mayor Levine Cava, Marlon Hill. Photo 2. Susan J Rubio Rivera, Alberto Lara. Photo 3. Alan Potamkin, Amanda Altman Susan J Rubio Rivera, Mayor Losner. Photo 4. Susan J Rubio Rivera. photo 5. Alexandra Urdaneta, Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, Susan J Rubio Rivera, Kenya Bonilla Photo 6. Susan J Rubio Rivera and Team.
