SARAH GRACE LITTLE
AUSTIN,TX
Summary
Having extensive experience with administrative professional skills in client and sales management, the hospitality and events industry, public speaking, and creative writing builds a strong foundation for Sarah as a Customer Relations Specialist. By focusing and thriving on connecting people with one another and building community, Sarah formed a proven track record in enhancing client satisfaction and fostering long-term relationships.
After almost a decade in high end hospitality, Sarah feels that valuing stories over stocks, a conversation over a credit card, and authenticity over all else will never be regrettable. She is honored to have a plethora of opportunities to use this baseline to connect with countless people, and continues to do so with every opportunity.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Engagement and Development Specialist
University of Texas at Austin
12.2023 - 12.2024
- Strengthened relationships with donors through prompt communication and personalized stewardship activities.
- Enhanced fundraising efforts by developing and implementing strategic donor cultivation plans.
- Completed projects in alignment with target deadlines and financial objectives.
- Established trusting relationships with major donors during face-to-face visits that resulted in increased annual contributions over time.
- Facilitated board engagement in fundraising efforts through regular updates, presentations at meetings about progress towards financial targets set forth each year.
Director of Member Relations & Sales (Contract)
The Green Room
05.2023 - 01.2024
- Developed high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Cultivated a positive work environment that fostered employee engagement, increased retention rates, and boosted overall team morale.
- Optimized staff performance by designing comprehensive training programs tailored to individual needs.
- Leveraged professional networks and industry knowledge to strengthen client relationships.
- Revolutionized customer service protocols, significantly improving customer satisfaction ratings.
Director of Member Relations and Sales
The Pershing
02.2017 - 05.2023
- Company Overview: Pershing is a bespoke members only venue and club in Austin, Texas
- Regularly surpassed my goals, and on average signed 25 members a month, with a 80% retention rate of members who resign.
- Brought in several million is USD in new revenue annually by personally signing on average 300 new members annually.
- Handled all communication and interface with all potential and current clients, managed the interaction between the client and the operations team, and consult on private events and programming execution
- In addition to hosting and interviewing potential clients daily, I also maintain relationships to ensure that membership grows year over year
Austin Chapter Director
The Supper Club Inc.
05.2019 - 01.2021
- More than a members-only society, The Supper Club is a restaurant without walls, an old-school social network of talented, sophisticated and like-minded individuals coming together for exclusive, salon-style soirees in alluring locations across the globe
- The founder, Tamsin Lonsdale approached me and asked me to launch the Austin chapter
- I began curating not only the fabulous group of members, but hosting and executing bi-monthly dinners, fetés, and parties
- Responsibilities included an array of tasks from vetting and interviewing potential members, closing membership and sponsorship deals, to selecting the perfect caviar paring and orchestrating a seating chart with perfect synergy and symmetry
House Events and Membership Director
The Pershing
02.2018 - 05.2019
- Company Overview: Pershing is a bespoke members only venue and club in Austin, Texas
- Pershing is a bespoke members only venue and club in Austin, Texas
Writing & Research Assistant
Dr. Betsy Berry / Dr. Don Graham
01.2012 - 01.2018
- Position Overview: Dr. Betsy Berry is a senior lecturer in the English Department at the University of Texas at Austin The late Dr. Don Graham was also a professor and a Texas literary icon (to quote Texas Monthly).
- After taking several of their lecture classes, I had the opportunity to assist in the overflow of responsibilities that accompany being a professor and author: writing, editing, managing meetings and classes, and above all - intelligent conservation and collaboration.
- Organized research materials, maintaining a well-ordered workspace conducive to productivity.
- Coordinated with external research partners to ensure seamless integration of collaborative projects.
- Streamlined project workflow, optimizing team efficiency through development of detailed scheduling and tracking systems.
- This connection and relationship continues to provide an open door to continued personal development and new experiences almost daily.
Personal Assistant and Attendant
Jenna Luzzo
08.2012 - 03.2015
- After spending many years assisting one family, the time came to move forward
- An opportunity arose to assist Jenna Luzzo, a graduate student in The School of Social Work at UT Austin
- Jenna had a disability making many seemingly simple tasks difficult
- She was quadriplegic
- I began attending graduate classes with Jenna, taking extensive lecture notes, handling email communication, appointment scheduling, driving, and many other various tasks
- My job with Jenna may seem odd, but it offered me the opportunity to grow personally and academically
Personal Family Assistant
Diana Kearns
01.2009 - 01.2012
- While studying at the University of Texas at Austin, I spent three years with the Kearns-Osterweil family
- In my time here, I became a fluid part of their lives
- Between swim lessons, grocery shopping, homework, making dinner, paying bills, and the infinite other tasks that it takes to run a household of five, I quickly learned the value of efficient multitasking
- Originally, Diane hired me on to assist with Dean, her son, then 6, with severe Cerebral Palsy
- Doctors and therapists labelled Dean as immobile and nonverbal, but I was blessed enough to be a part of his life and learn this was not the whole truth
- While his verbal skills are still limited, Dean's ability to communicate developed more with each therapy session
- Watching Dean learn how to communicate in a world that struggles to understand him, showed me the importance finding alternative methods of communication in order to reach your audience
- This experience proved the value of having a work environment with strong personal connection and relationships
Education
BA - English, Cultural Anthropology
The University of Texas at Austin
12.2013
Skills
- Organizational development
- Sales expertise
- Client acquisition and retention strategies
- Partnership building and development
- Customer Relations
- Staff management and operations
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Fundraising strategies
- Business development and planning
- Attention to detail
- Excellent verbal and written communication
References
- Camille Renne Butzen, Founder and Owner,
Ish Girl Creative
Ishgirlnetwork@gmail.com, (515) 314-2473
- Kyle Lauterbach, Director of Operations,
The Pershing
Kyle@thepershing.com, (512) 789-5997
- Betsy Berry, Professor and Senior Lecturer
The Department of English, The University of Texas at Austin
bbarama@austin.utexas.edu
Timeline
Senior Engagement and Development Specialist
University of Texas at Austin
12.2023 - 12.2024
Director of Member Relations & Sales (Contract)
The Green Room
05.2023 - 01.2024
Austin Chapter Director
The Supper Club Inc.
05.2019 - 01.2021
House Events and Membership Director
The Pershing
02.2018 - 05.2019
Director of Member Relations and Sales
The Pershing
02.2017 - 05.2023
Personal Assistant and Attendant
Jenna Luzzo
08.2012 - 03.2015
Writing & Research Assistant
Dr. Betsy Berry / Dr. Don Graham
01.2012 - 01.2018
Personal Family Assistant
Diana Kearns
01.2009 - 01.2012
BA - English, Cultural Anthropology
The University of Texas at Austin
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