Your Brentwood: Information Technology director finds leadership roots in athletics | Local News

On a recent Friday morning, Sarah VanWormer, Brentwood’s Information Technology director, packed up her office at City Hall. In a few weeks, construction crews will begin a $5.4 million renovation of the building, causing VanWormer and her entire department to relocate for the next several months. While loading boxes, she came across a volleyball from her days as a high school varsity coach in Michigan. Her former players had written messages on the ball’s panels with a Sharpie, explaining how much she meant to them.

“They did that for me at the sport’s banquet, and it was very thoughtful,” VanWormer said, a little embarrassed at reading all the praise. “I had some very thoughtful teams.”

That ball will likely be one of the first things she unpacks in her new office because she credits her athletic experience with helping her become one of the few female information technology directors in the country. According to the career recruitment website Zippia.com, only “11.9% of all information technology directors are women, while 88.1% are men.”

“Being an athlete made a big difference for me,” she said. “I’ve studied confidence over the years because I don’t think as girls, I don’t think it’s as natural for most girls. I don’t know that it’s always built into us. I think the small successes you have in sports help to build that confidence.”

VanWormer worked hard for those successes. Hours at the gym and on the court helped her high school team become Michigan state champions, and it allowed her to play Division One Volleyball on an athletic scholarship at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. And that continued success – along with a dedication to hard work – inspired this woman with no initial interest in Information Technology to become one of the leaders in that field. 

‘I loved it. I loved playing’

VanWormer was born in Kalamazoo, a tranquil river city in Southern Michigan, where her father taught choir and earth sciences at the local high school. He also coached softball, and one spring his naturally athletic, 10-year-old daughter gave the sport a try. Then came basketball and, in seventh grade, volleyball. She played all three sports, for both school and club teams. When she entered Comstock High School as a freshman, her family was a little overwhelmed by her athletic career.

“My freshman year, I was on varsity softball and volleyball, and I played club volleyball as well,” she said. “After school, I’d go to softball practice for 2.5-3 hours, then my dad would pick me up and take me over to volleyball practice for another 2.5-3 hours. On weekends, I would go back and forth, changing in the car between games. I loved it. I loved playing.”

That same busy schedule remains a key characteristic of VanWormer’s life. In addition to overseeing the City’s Information Technology Department, she regularly presents at events and conferences around the country. This August, she will serve as one of the invited speakers at the Government Technology webinar, “Diving Deep on Data Governance in Local Government.”

But when she was 14, her coaches weren’t thrilled that she played several sports simultaneously. At the end of her freshman year, VanWormer’s softball coach pulled her aside. 

“You have to choose one,” the coach said.

“I have to go with volleyball,” the young athlete said.

She loved all sports – she even thought of playing basketball in college – but she knew volleyball offered more opportunities. Division One university volleyball programs usually award 12 full scholarships. 

“There’s a higher chance of getting a scholarship,” VanWormer said. “In softball, there are fewer scholarships and more players. Typically, softball players don’t get full scholarship.”

Focusing on volleyball, she grew as a player, on both school and club teams, excelling as a libero, a defensive specialist, and an outside hitter. The Comstock High team coalesced, and during her junior year, the Colts battled their way to the state finals. That last game, VanWormer said, ended in a victory, but it wasn’t much to watch.

“It was a tough tournament until the final game,” she said. “These were still old school rules, but we beat the other team 15-0. It was the fastest game in the state finals.”

After becoming such dominant state champions, VanWormer and her teammates started receiving calls and letters from college recruiters. Her plan and training worked – she’d get to be a college athlete. And as she packed her bags for the University of Maryland Baltimore County, she thought she’d follow in her father’s footsteps. It was time to become a teacher.

‘You have to learn how to lead’

Years later, while coaching high school volleyball, VanWormer sat down with one of her best players. The girl was eager to play another sport – basketball – in college. VanWormer remembered her first days as a college athlete.

“The college level – it’s a whole different level,” she said to her player. “You have to learn how to lead, you have to learn to open your mouth, or you’ll be eaten alive. You’re a small fish, even though you’re a phenomenal athlete.”

This was the first lesson VanWormer learned as an 18-year-old in Maryland. She was alone, hours away from home, and the differences between high school and college were shocking. At Comstock, the coaches nurtured their young players. In college, the coaches had to win – their jobs depended on it. She adjusted to a new coaching style that didn’t have much time for kind, encouraging words. The experience was physically and emotionally exhausting.

“My freshman year, our preseason was three weeks long, and we practiced about nine hours a day, five to six days a week,” she said. “You’re pretty sore by day two.”

That year, she was on the volleyball court every morning at 5:30 a.m., then classes, and then a few more hours of practice or weight training in the afternoon. 

“We used a lot of body spray back then,” she said.

In class, she thought she’d be a teacher, like her father, so she studied geography. On the court, coaches came and went, and the team excelled, winning conference championships, and earning spots in the NCAA Tournament. In her senior year, VanWormer was named team captain. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree and a deeper understanding of how to lead.

‘Everybody is coached differently’

VanWormer moved back to Michigan, confident that she could succeed at whatever she did and confident that she did not want to be a geography teacher. With her geography degree, the 22-year-old applied for a Geographic Information System (GIS) job with the city of Battle Creek. She had no experience. Surprisingly, the city invited her for an interview.

“The reason we interviewed you was you were a college athlete,” a city official told her. “You understand teams.”

She took the job, and drawing inspiration from her athletic career, she pushed herself to be better. VanWormer learned how to code and program, and she earned a master’s degree in information systems. She’d planned to spend two years at Battle Creek; she stayed more than 20 years. The city hired her because she understood teams. The former college volleyball team captain eventually became the leader of her team – department director. She also became a nationally respected expert on data, programming, and addressing gaps in business needs.

But, just like that 14-year-old freshman at Comstock High School, she needed to stay busy. Once again, she looked to sports. While working at Battle Creek and studying the ever-changing advances in technology, she also found time to motivate young athletes as a varsity volleyball coach. VanWormer, the lifelong student, applied what she learned from her players to her professional career.

“Everybody is coached differently,” she said. “Some people want you to get in their face. Some people shut down that way.”

She was at a school where 95% of the students were on the free and reduced lunch program. The team practiced a few hours every day, but VanWormer fielded questions and calls in the middle of the night from anxious students. She didn’t mind missing sleep. She calmed them down and then showed up to practice the next day with their favorite snacks.

“My main goal was teaching them confidence,” she said.

She made it her job to make personal connections with each player – learn what they liked, learn what coaching style helped them thrive, and learn the little things that might make a difference. She applied that to her professional career as well. When she found out one of her employees was once a member of a high school marching band, she studied videos of bands at work. She even took the employee into the parking lot, where he showed her how to march.

“There’s all these ways to lead an orchestra and a band,” she said. “By doing that, I could see how I could support that type of personality.”

In 2022, VanWormer left Battle Creek to lead Brentwood’s Information Technology Department. When she arrived at her office in City Hall – the one she is now packing – she displayed her volleyball on a shelf and then went to work meeting her new staff – her new team.

Your Brentwood is a series highlighting the unique stories, hobbies, and interests of City of Brentwood employees.