University Awards: Sarah J. Franklin '97

Sarah came to Virginia Tech and majored in chemical engineering, and her career has, of course, been storeid and iconic since then. Spent a lot of time in PricewaterhouseCoopers, was at Salesforce for a long time, rising to become president and chief marketing officer, and of course, is now the CEO of Lattice. It's a great example of what an undergraduate education in what you're passionate about broadly, can equip you to do all kinds of things in your career. I mean, it's extraordinary to think that, you know, she was president and CMO of Salesforce at the peak of Salesforce's influence in the business world, and now is CEO of Lattice, a company I hear about all the time the number of companies and organizations talking about Lattice as a tool that's helping them evolve, advance, and keep up with organizational culture. People performance is really inspiring, and I think Sarah deserves a lot of credit for stewarding such an important company as CEO. And and it's fun to look back on the arc of her career and realize it all started here in Blacksburg. Sarah Franklin, a Virginia Tech alumni in chemical engineering and biochemistry, has built a career at the intersection of technology, leadership and community. She spent nearly two decades at Salesforce, where she helped shape the company's global brand and played a key role in building its trailblazer community and platform ecosystem today. As CEO of Lattice, she leads a company focused on empowering people and strengthening organizations across every chapter of her career. Her work reflects a deep commitment to connection, growth and service. I'm Frank Thompson. I was introduced to Sarah Franklin through one of my mentors, Rishi Jaitley, when I was really trying to figure out what I wanted to do, like in my life. Like just a lot of different options. Didn't really know what to do. And Rishi connected the two of us, and Sarah was kind enough to take time out of her day to talk to, you know, a random Hokie she had never met who was just trying to figure out what to do with his life. I think what like people coming out of college and in their final years of college, crave is mentors and people who are willing to sit with them. I think Sarah did that with me. I mean, 30 minute call, right? Like, but that changed, like how I was thinking about my career and her willingness to do that is what makes her an incredible Hokie. One thing I really appreciate about Sarah throughout her journey is the way she stayed connected to Virginia Tech. Her willingness to join our event a few years ago, which came together kind of at the last moment and fly across the country just to be on stage in Northern Virginia at a Virginia Tech event is just one of many signals that she's willing to pay it forward. Congratulations, Sarah. Really excited that you're receiving this award, and it's an honor to cross paths with you, thanks to Virginia Tech.