Sarah has been engaged for over 20 years in leadership experiences in collegiate, community, and nonprofit recreation with a focus on student professional preparation. She is passionate about the importance of recreational facilities and programs to further the overall growth, development, and health of campuses and communities. With a career focus on student learning and development, in the classroom and out, she facilitates experiential learning to assist students in developing skills for future success and guides students in pursuit of their passions related to recreation and sport. 

Her national service to the field includes serving as Chair and faculty member of the NIRSA School of Recreational Sports Management, inaugural NIRSA Member Network and subsequent Chair, and longtime member of the Recreational Sports Journal editorial board. Her executive experiences with community and nonprofit recreation include stints as a Parks and Recreation Board Chair and member, and board service for nonprofit organizations in recreation therapy, sport and youth development.  Her passion for the importance of recreation in community life is demonstrated through work with juvenile detention center program development, parks and recreation program review, supervision and guidance of fieldwork and internship students, and development of curriculum to prepare aspiring community and nonprofit recreation professionals.  

Educational/research interests

• Experiential and Adventure Education
• Youth Development through Sport and Recreation
• Collegiate Student Learning and Assessment

Publications

• Leadership assessment in collegiate recreation and athletics. In New Directions for Student Leadership. No. 147, Fall 2015. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
• A career in campus recreational sports. In Campus Recreational Sports. (2013). Human Kinetics Pub.
• Writing Student Learning Outcomes. Recreational Sp. Journal. (2010) Vol. 3(1).
• Philosophical and theoretical foundations of campus recreation: Crossroads of theory. In Campus Recreation: Essentials for the Professional. (2008) Human Kinetics Pub.

Presentations

Throughout her career, Sarah has presented on a range of topics such as strategic leadership, student professional development, workplace culture, and student learning and assessment at numerous national conferences including Athletic Business, NIRSA, Missouri Parks and Recreation Association, the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education and the Association for Experiential Education.