Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Susan Santana

38. Susan Santana

Once upon a time AT&T was just a phone company. These days it is as much an all-around tech company as any in the Silicon Valley, which gives it big time oomph around the Capitol, and especially with this governor. Much credit for this goes to its new President, AT&T California and Nevada, Susan Santana, who oversees AT&T’s 500-pound gorilla lobbying presence in the Capitol. We say new only in that she ascended to her current role in April, but she was the V.P. for several years prior. And titles most definitely do matter, as she is the first Latina to ever serve in this role for her company. As a grade schooler she briefly entertained thoughts of becoming a hairdresser, but a fortuitous Career Day visit by a lawyer turned her vision away from curls and cuts and toward the legal profession. Lucky for AT&T! She first joined the company in 2007 and lobbied for them for a decade in Washington, D.C. before coming to Sacramento. She’s the past President of the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C. and the Hispanic Lobbyists Association also in D.C.

Updated Aug. 27, 2025.