Sarah Turner named director of alumni relations for College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Sarah Turner may be new to Virginia Tech. But just a few weeks into her job, she’s already amazed by Hokie Nation.
Turner joined the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences this summer as director of alumni relations.
A native of West Virginia, Turner has been visiting Blacksburg since childhood. She’s no stranger to working in higher education, either. Turner has devoted her entire career to helping students succeed and alumni connect.
With an extensive background in alumni relations, advancement, and communications, she brings valuable experience and a deep passion for higher education to the college.
Turner earned a bachelor’s degree in business with a minor in communications from Concord University and a master’s in communication studies from Marshall University.
Her professional journey includes leadership roles at Concord University and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. Most recently, she served as vice president for advancement at Concord University, overseeing fundraising, alumni programming, and marketing efforts for the university.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Sarah to our advancement team,” said Michael Webb, assistant dean of advancement for the college. “Her depth of knowledge and experience will be invaluable to us as we continue to enhance our alumni engagement efforts within the college. Sarah will help us find new and creative ways to connect our alumni back to the place that is special to so many.”
As Turner steps into her new role at Virginia Tech, she answered a few questions about her career and her goals.
What inspired you to pursue a career in higher education and what excites you most about joining the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences?
When I went on a medical school admissions tour with my sister, I was fascinated watching the admissions counselor promote the school. This was when I first realized that there were people working on college campuses that weren’t professors and when my interest in working in higher education began. I am excited to join the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech because it is an outstanding college, full of great people and great programs. I love the variety of departments, schools, and centers in our college. And I’m already so impressed by what our faculty, students, and alumni are doing for Virginia Tech, their communities, and beyond.
What are your top priorities and goals for strengthening the relationship between the college and its vibrant alumni community?
My main goal in this position is to connect with as many College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences alums as possible and to keep them informed on and engaged with the great things that are happening in our college and at the university. We have so many outstanding alumni out there and I look forward to interacting with them and making sure they know how proud we are of them.
What message would you like to send to alumni as you begin your tenure as the new director of alumni relations?
I hope our alumni know how important they are to our college. The strong education they received at the university has enabled them to go out and do phenomenal work in so many different fields and I want them to know I’m here to help celebrate those accomplishments with them and to keep them connected to the place that helped them get there.
OK, now a fun one. What's one fact about you that our alumni might be surprised to learn?
While I would not call myself a runner, I have run not one, but two half marathons – both at Disney World.
How can alumni interested in getting involved with the college or sharing their story get in touch with you?
Alums can reach me via email at sturner24@vt.edu, phone (540-231-8184), or on LinkedIn. I look forward to hearing from them in any way they wish to reach out.
