Sarah Claxton

Provide strategic leadership for Illuminate Church's Dream Team ministry, overseeing volunteer engagement, onboarding, development, and operational systems that support hundreds of volunteers across multiple ministries. Partner with executive leadership, staff, and ministry leaders to improve volunteer processes, strengthen communication, and create systems that enhance both ministry effectiveness and the volunteer experience. Spearheaded the redesign of the church's volunteer onboarding process through the creation of standardized workflows, reporting dashboards, training resources, and performance metrics that increased accountability, improved communication, and helped volunteers become connected and equipped to serve. Serve as a trusted resource for ministry leaders by building strong relationships, solving operational challenges, supporting team development, and fostering a culture where volunteers feel valued, encouraged, and empowered to use their gifts.

In addition to Dream Team leadership, established and developed the church's External Events department from the ground up, creating the processes, systems, and partnerships necessary to support community events, facility rentals, ministry initiatives, mission opportunities, and church-wide special events. Lead the planning and execution of these events while coordinating logistics, resources, schedules, and cross-functional teams to ensure exceptional experiences for guests, community partners, and ministry participants.

Managed daily operations for one of Central Florida's largest seasonal attractions, overseeing multiple departments, vendors, and frontline staff to ensure a seamless guest experience. Coordinated complex event logistics, maintained operational standards, resolved guest concerns, and led teams in a fast-paced environment serving thousands of visitors. Developed a reputation for calm leadership, strong communication, and the ability to make effective decisions under pressure while balancing the needs of guests, team members, and organizational objectives.

Supported the Entertainment Department through project coordination, contractor compliance, reporting, data analysis, and process improvement initiatives. Partnered closely with managers and directors to ensure projects were completed accurately and efficiently while strengthening communication between departments and contracted professionals. Managed multiple priorities simultaneously and contributed to operational improvements that enhanced organizational effectiveness and supported successful program delivery.

Led the shipboard entertainment department aboard international cruise ships, overseeing daily operations, large-scale events, programming, and guest engagement for thousands of passengers. Supervised multidisciplinary teams, coordinated with departments across the ship, and managed complex schedules and logistics while ensuring exceptional guest experiences. This role strengthened leadership, public speaking and team development, adaptability, and the ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds while fostering positive and engaging environments.