NRABC Welcomes Sarah Smith Warren as Executive Director
August 28th, 2012 – The New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation proudly welcomes Sarah Smith Warren as its new Executive Director, effective September 4th. Warren brings years of experience in non-profit administration, as well as deep local roots, to this critical community role.
Sarah Smith Warren grew up on a ranch near Tokio, North Dakota. Daughter of Terry and Jane Smith, Sarah went to school at Warwick and graduated from Sheyenne High School. After completing a liberal arts degree at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, Sarah went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and Public Relations at Minnesota State University of Moorhead. During the summers, she came back home to perform on the stages of Dakota Prairie Regional Center for the Arts and Fort Totten Little Theatre.
Sarah began her professional career as at Trollwood Performing Arts School in Fargo. She coordinated special events and fundraising and worked her way up to Assistant to the Executive Director. It was here she developed a passion for the nonprofit organization and working to provide opportunities where there is need.
Wanting to explore more about organizations and how communication can help them to succeed, Sarah went to North Dakota State University to earn her Master’s in Communication. Her thesis project was focused on communications in rural organizations with DPRCA as her topic and inspiration.
After graduate school, Sarah wanted to reconnect with rural North Dakota and accepted a position with the North Dakota Humanities Council in Bismarck where she created and coordinated programs across the state, working closely with rural nonprofit organizations and community leaders.
For the past two years, Sarah and her husband Jacob Warren of Sheyenne, have been traveling across the country. Jacob is a traveling Occupational Therapist and their travels took them to Oregon to Texas to Ohio and back. During that time, Sarah worked on independent projects and taught online classes for NDSU. Jacob has recently been hired by Altru Health in Devils Lake.
Sarah and Jacob have always dreamed about coming back home to make a life where they themselves grew up in such a creative and positive community. “We look back on our childhood and when we come back to visit this area, we realize how much heart, dedication and hard work that so many people have put into the community and it’s incredible quality of life. We want to be a part of that.” Sarah and Jacob just moved to a family farm near Warwick with their new puppy, Otis.
The public is invited to stop in at the NRABC offices at City Hall to greet and help welcome Warren back to the community. The NRABC is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.