Dear SARSEF Community,
It is my distinct pleasure to introduce you to SARSEF’s next CEO, Julie Euber.
SARSEF has been a critical part of my life for twenty-five years. Over that time, I have watched it transform from a week-long celebration of the brightest minds in Southern Arizona run by a group of passionate volunteers, into an incredible organization focused on education equity where every child owns their potential and makes a difference in their world. As a student competitor, SARSEF taught me that my brain has value, and my voice has impact. As SARSEF’s first full-time staff member, I quickly recognized that passion can only get an organization so far and vowed that my work would not be done until SARSEF was truly sustainable.
When I became CEO, my goal was clear. I would make sure that SARSEF had a culture where people would not want to leave, but if they chose to, we would be able to celebrate their contributions because the organization would be established enough for their legacy to live on.
I am incredibly proud to have reached my goals for this amazing organization.
It was not until my position as CEO that I truly understood the value of the skills that SARSEF taught me in my formative years. I could not help but smile as I applied science and engineering practices daily, eliminating variables and making data-based decisions. I used critical thinking and problem solving skills to keep us thriving through the pandemic as well as the data and communication skills to articulate our impact.
I couldn’t have met my goals without your support. I encourage you to join me in celebrating what we’ve been able to accomplish together, and what’s to come, by making a donation at sarsef.org/donate. Please feel free to let me know you are giving in celebration of our work together in the comment box of our donation form so that I can thank you.
Fortunately, SARSEF has an incredibly strong incoming CEO who will continue this legacy. When I became CEO, I hired Julie Euber as COO with our succession plan in mind. Her remarkable leadership skills, keen eye for strategy, discipline for planning, and passion for equity were qualities I knew would be essential in the next SARSEF CEO. In the two years she has been with our organization she has far surpassed my own, and our Board’s, ideal expectations for a successor.
After she was unanimously selected, our SARSEF board expressed utmost confidence in Julie’s ability to maintain SARSEF’s growth trajectory, assuring a high level of service to our many stakeholders. Her mix of experience in science, education, and the nonprofit sector make her uniquely qualified.
I first met Julie while working alongside her at both the State and International Science Fairs, where her commitment to putting students first was clear. Each decision she made and action she took embodied SARSEF’s commitment to our core values of Innovation, Equity, and Engagement. I later learned that it was her own experience with science education equity that drives her. After Julie earned her MA in Anthropology with a focus in Bioarchaeology from Arizona State University, she served as Manager of Education and Outreach at the Phoenix-based biomedical research nonprofit TGen. During that time, she pursued further training and education in nonprofit management and became the President of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Phoenix.
Julie shared, “I look forward to continuing SARSEF’s long tradition of supporting and celebrating opportunities for Arizona students to get involved in science and engineering. It has been an incredible opportunity working with the SARSEF staff, board, and volunteers over the last two years. Their dedication and thoughtful work are making science and engineering more accessible to all students. I can’t wait to continue my work with them.”
Julie will officially start as SARSEF CEO in October, and I encourage you to take the time to welcome and get to know her. To do so, schedule a 15-minute virtual meet-and-greet here: https://calendly.com/julie-euber/meet-the-new-sarsef-ceo.
It is time for a new generation of leadership to carry SARSEF to its next phase, and I cannot wait to see what it becomes.
With gratitude for all you have done to make this journey truly remarkable,
Liz Bowman
SARSEF is encouraging community members to leave a note of congratulations, well wishes or a favorite memory of Bowman at the following link: https://forms.gle/5B7s2gpD19Ra4tiJ6.