Susan Cline
Susan Cline is a dedicated payroll professional currently serving as a Payroll Administrator at Archdiocese of Mobile, a role she has held since 2016. In this position, she oversees 86 payrolls every other week and manages employee records for approximately 2,000 individuals across the southern half of Alabama. Known for her precision and accountability, Susan approaches her work with a deep sense of responsibility, often saying she treats every paycheck as if it were her own—ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time. Her commitment to integrity and confidentiality has made her a trusted resource for administrators and colleagues alike.
Susan’s career began in human resources, where she developed a strong foundation in employee relations, recruiting, and benefits administration. Over time, she discovered a passion for payroll, drawn to the structure and clarity of working with numbers and compliance. Her experience spans multiple industries, including her tenure at GAT Airline Ground Support Inc., where she processed payroll across 15 states and managed complex benefits systems. One of her most notable accomplishments was successfully leading a company-wide payroll system transition, training administrators across numerous locations and ensuring a seamless implementation.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from University of South Alabama and also studied hotel and restaurant management at University of Houston-Downtown. Susan credits her strong work ethic to her parents, whose dedication to providing for their family shaped her values of hard work and reliability. Today, she brings those same principles to her career, combining technical expertise with a people-first mindset to support employees and uphold the integrity of every payroll she manages.
• University of South Alabama- B.S.
• University of Houston-Downtown
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my mother and father. They worked very hard all their lives. My dad worked for Brown and Root for 33 years, and my mom worked for AT&T, South Central Bell, for 30 years. Even when Dad worked during the day and Mom had to work at night, they showed me that you go to work and you provide. You do what you have to do to provide for your family. I think they gave me a work ethic, and I give them full credit for that. That foundation of hard work and dedication is what drives me every day in my career.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from my outgoing boss, who told me, 'Susan, just do your job like you know how to do it.' That simple but powerful advice has stuck with me, and it's what I've been doing. It's about being yourself and trusting in your abilities and expertise. That authenticity and confidence in doing what you know how to do well is what will carry you forward in your career.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to give the job 100%. You need to give it your all until you decide that it's really not the job for you. Don't slack off. Put everything you have into your work, and when the timing is right, then you make the transition. But while you're in a position, commit to it fully and give it everything you've got.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field right now are AI trying to take over the HR and payroll industry, and the constant threat of scams and fraud. AI is increasingly being used to replace human workers, with the attitude of 'we don't need you to do the paperwork, we're just gonna do this thing, and AI's gonna walk them through it.' But when people ask AI what they should claim on their taxes, what's AI going to tell them? The other major challenge is fraud and scams. I have to verify so many things because everybody wants to go all electronic. I get emails all the time saying someone wants to change their bank account, and it's not even them. I've even gotten emails supposedly from the Archbishop saying he needs to change his bank account, and I know that's not him. People are hacking bank accounts, and the fraud is tough. You can't just automatically assume an email is coming from the person it says it's coming from, so fact-checking these kinds of things is critical. It's about protecting people's personal information and their paychecks from being compromised.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are being detail-oriented, maintaining integrity, and upholding confidentiality. I have to hold people to deadlines as far as work is concerned, but it all comes back to integrity for me. Being detail-oriented is integrity. That involves trust, both giving trust and being trustworthy. You've got to be able to trust the people that you work with, and you've got to be able to maintain the confidentiality of the information you have access to. I have access to all kinds of personal things, people's finances, and that confidentiality is critical. It's about maintaining that trust and doing what's right.