Experience

SwitchThink Solutions

• United States
• IT Services and IT Consulting
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Executive Consultant

  • Jan 2022 - Present

  As an Executive Consultant for SwitchThink Solutions, Sara uses her extensive experience in strategic planning, brand strategy, product development, start-ups and program management to help both virtual and traditional teams translate their strategic goals into actionable plans that drive sustainable growth – always with a keen focus on strategic discipline, innovation and business transformation. As an Executive Consultant for SwitchThink Solutions, Sara uses her extensive experience in strategic planning, brand strategy, product development, start-ups and program management to help both virtual and traditional teams translate their strategic goals into actionable plans that drive sustainable growth – always with a keen focus on strategic discipline, innovation and business transformation.



Humintex

• United States
• IT Services and IT Consulting

• Executive Consultant

  • Sep 2017 - Jan 2022

  Humintex helps credit unions align technology and operations decisions to enterprise strategy. Its experts leverage their executive leadership experience and real-world intelligence to work hand-in-hand with credit union teams to deliver insights and results that make a difference. As an Executive Consultant for Humintex, Sara uses her extensive experience in strategic planning, brand strategy, product development, start-ups and program management to help both virtual and traditional teams translate their strategic goals into actionable plans that drive sustainable growth – always with a keen focus on strategic discipline, innovation and business transformation. Show less



IT & Business Strategy Consulting

• Kenya
• IT Services and IT Consulting
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Freelance Consultant

  • Oct 2016 - Aug 2017

  Driving key strategic initiatives on behalf of clients seeking to accelerate their results. Driving key strategic initiatives on behalf of clients seeking to accelerate their results.



Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Operating Officer

  • Sep 2013 - Jun 2016

  Reporting to CEO, managed ~$10 million budget and staff of 35. Balanced competing needs of Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity Board, staff, donors, corporate sponsors, city officials, sub-contractors, volunteers & homeowners to annually sell & build 50-75 new homes, repair 50 existing homes, provide buyer readiness education to 100 homeowners & deliver 12,000 volunteer experiences. Packaged and presented Habitat’s policy and support requests to city councils, trade groups, donors and the media. Collaborated with the Development team on funding strategies and proposal packaging. Deepened relationships with key donors, fostering open communication of volunteer experience expectations. Ran Dallas site operations for the most positively reviewed Habitat for Humanity Annual Carter Work Project in the event’s 30-year history (5-day event, 5000+ volunteers, 50 homes). From planning and staging to homeowner selection and volunteer deployment through event execution and home closing, the project elapsed over one year. Launched Apprentice Program in Jan 2016 with Board approved plan to grow from 12 to 150 apprentices in 5 years. Show less



White Space Dallas

• United States
• Events Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Owner & Chief Executive Officer

  • Jun 2011 - May 2015

  Built Dallas’ first all-inclusive corporate meeting facility focused on boosting engagement, creativity and actionable outcomes from client focus groups, strategy sessions, leadership meetings, product planning workshops, etc. Formed the entity, created the business plan and financial pro-forma and executed all aspects of the start-up (from space negotiation and build-out to brand development and packaging of the services menu and pricing model). Managing all aspects of strategy and operations, White Space hosted over 100 unique clients including Abbott Laboratories, Dr Pepper Snapple, Volkswagen, Southwest Airlines and Cisco. Achieved a 45% repeat business rate and 98% referencability. Show less



Fiserv

• Software Development
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Strategy Officer & Chief of Staff, Credit Union Solutions

  • Apr 2007 - May 2011

  Reporting to Division President, directed strategy, business planning, marketing, portfolio product management, offerings development and contract administration for $475+ million division of a Fortune 500, consistently meeting or exceeding growth expectations.Co-architected and drove execution of division’s multi-stage business transformation plan, integrating the organizations, processes and roadmaps of seven stand-alone companies into one operating unit with a unified go-to-market strategy, rationalizing spend and achieving more consistent results for clients.Drove the strategic planning and annual budgeting process.Owned and evolved portfolio management discipline for the division’s suite of 100+ products.Drove innovation cycle, incubating new solutions and rationalizing overlapping products within portfolio.Created cross-division boards and process frameworks to evaluate and commit to R&D investments. Collaborated with sales and product managers to package proposals aligned with client’s strategic needs.Developed and executed messaging strategy for credit union market and ensured alignment of marketing tactics against strategy through disciplined review process.Launched 2 well-received brands into credit union market (CU7 and Fiserv Masterbrand).Consolidated 7 client conferences into 1 industry-leading, 2000 person event, with 98% satisfaction rate.Built on-going internal and industry collaboration through focus groups, committees and partnerships. Show less

• Chief Strategy Officer & Chief of Staff, IntegraSys

  • Jul 2003 - Mar 2007

  Reporting to President, directed strategy, business planning, marketing, product portfolio management, offerings development and contract administration for $125+ million subsidiary of a Fortune 500.Co-architected and drove execution of company’s turn-around plan, outperforming Fiserv’s three-year pro-forma expectations at acquisition by $20+ million on revenue and $12+ million on profit.Created stand-alone company from CUIG carve-out from EDS, replacing functions, processes and services previously provided by EDS corporate teams. Established HR, IT, finance, legal and business administration functions, systems and policies; created new commission plans and processes; established new purchasing process; set up new contract paper and defined migration strategy for existing clients; set negotiation and signature authority levels; established new vendor relationships; built-out and relocated team to a new headquarters; and established charitable outreach strategy. Built best-in-class marketing and contract administration organizations from ground up.Drove strategic planning process for all product lines within organization.Owned and evolved portfolio management discipline for company’s suite of 20+ products. Directed innovation cycle, creating and incubating new products and services.Collaborated with sales and product managers to package proposals aligned with client’s strategic needs.Created and implemented award-winning IntegraSys brand.Successfully changed market perception of IntegraSys from declining, out-of-touch vendor to forward-thinking technology partner delivering “certainty in an uncertain world”. Show less



Electronic Data Systems (now part of HP)

• Strategic Development Manager, Credit Union Industry Group

  • Apr 2002 - Jun 2003

  Reporting to Unit President, co-architected unit turn-around plan, including investment option analysis, driving decision to divest.Co-led EDS’ private placement sale of CUIG unit, packaging the business and navigating all parties toward an agreement with terms favorable for EDS, Fiserv and the CUIG team. Process included defining demisement of assets and resources; developing the offering memorandum; qualifying potential buyers; compiling due diligence material; delivering management presentations; and negotiating final agreements. Provided support to EDS M&A in divestiture of EDS’ Electronic Payments unit, defining terms required for a services agreement needed from buyer.Directed unit’s offerings development, marketing, contract and business administration teams.Retooled unit’s processes to drive better efficiency and accountability, establishing quality measures and avoiding incremental administration and compliance costs. Show less

• Business Development Consultant, Credit Union Industry Group

  • Jan 2000 - Mar 2002

  Developed and launched new offerings through internal and external alliances.Analyzed potential offerings; created sales and marketing plans; developed pricing strategies; negotiated alliance agreements; project managed software development; supervised rollout, pilot sales and implementation; built sales toolkits; coached sales personnel; managed alliance relationships; and delivered promised financial results.Incubated products generating $5 million in annual recurring revenue.

• Business Development Consultant, Diversified Financial Services

  • Oct 1995 - Dec 1999

  Led team charged with divesting EDS’ $140 million community banking business unit. Responsible for all aspects of private placement transaction, from hiring a broker and setting deal strategy to coordinating diligence activities and negotiating the definitive agreement.Packaged and negotiated sale of 2 EDS processing centers to regional items processor.Led client engagement to create a sales and marketing launch plan for a new electronic mortgage ownership rights clearinghouse (known as “MERS”).Developed business and organizational realignment plans for 4 new and existing business lines.Provided project management to acquisition and alliance transaction pursuits. Show less