2023 Alumni Awards: Sara McDonald (Mgmt '01) - Robert L. Stearns Award

Sara McDonald (Mgmt '01)
Robert L. Stearns Award
Since her earliest role as a student employee, Sara McDonald has consistently been a reliable and irreplaceable leader at CU Boulder.
Fond of saying she grew up in the CU Boulder School of Education, she watched her mother, Patty McDonald, build an unassailable reputation as a trusted administrator in her 32 years with the school. Likewise, Sara knew from an early age that she also wanted to have a lasting influence at the university.
In 2001, she graduated from CU with a degree in business management. She worked her way up to her current position as senior director of operations at the School of Education, a community she has lovingly served and played an essential role in leading for over 20 years.
Described by colleagues as the “heart and soul of the School of Education,” Sara plans and runs many of the school’s events, including panel discussions, multi-day conferences, scholarship ceremonies and commencements. Using her master’s degree in information and learning technologies from CU Denver, she manages technology, IT and logistical needs for all School of Education spaces, students, faculty and staff. In 2020, she spearheaded and implemented the physical move of offices and classrooms for more than 200 faculty, staff and students - all in the midst of a global pandemic.
In addition to her logistical and managerial prowess, Sara has embraced CU Boulder’s diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, making her a source of refuge for many students of color and LGBTQ+ leaders seeking a safe space. Recently, she started a Staff of Color Alliance, and she has also served on the School of Education’s Strategic Planning Committee and Equity and Justice Committee.
“I could write pages of how Sara has supported us,” said Sara Staley and Bethy Leonardi, CU faculty and co-founders of A Queer Endeavor - a nationally recognized center for gender and sexual diversity in education - as well as past Alumni Award honorees. “She donated time and effort to basically run the tech at the institutes, plan the meals, organize and more.
“Sara McDonald is the steadiest, most humble behind-the-scenes force of so much magic that happens in our School of Education. Her leadership truly enriches our community.”
With her institutional knowledge and drive to help others, Sara also serves as both a formal and informal mentor to many.
“Sara is quietly vital to grad student success at the School of Education,” said Wagma Mommandi (PhDEdu’23), one of the school’s doctoral students. “As you advance through the program you realize more and more how important she is and how many official and unofficial hats she wears.”