Strawberry Recreation District: Brand strategist to join board after uncontested race
Parent and businesswoman Sarah Waterfield is set to join the Strawberry Recreation District board in December after running uncontested for a shortened two-year term in the Nov. 5 election.
Waterfield will take over the seat from Christian Michael, who beat her out for the appointed interim spot on the board in April. Michael remains on the board, however, after running uncontested for the four-year seat belonging to incumbent Pam Bohner, who chose not to run for reelection after serving for 12 years.
Waterfield will serve through December 2026, at which time she could choose to run for a full four-year term.
She said she’s looking forward to getting to know the district better.
“I’m excited to work with the team to get to know the leadership there,” she said.
Waterfield, 49, grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Harvard University, where she majored in history and literature, before attending Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. She has worked in corporate strategy for 25 years and is currently the senior vice president of global brand strategy at Ultragenyx, a Novato-based pharmaceutical company.
Waterfield moved to her Reed Boulevard home, just a half-mile walk from the recreation district’s East Strawberry Drive headquarters, in summer 2019 with her husband, Michael, and their two children, 9-year-old Cassie, who is in fourth grade at Strawberry Point Elementary School, and 12-year-old Max, a seventh grader at Mill Valley Middle School.
Waterfield said her interest in serving on the board stemmed from wanting to support the district, which has been important to her and her family. Both of her children are part of the Strawberry Seals swim team that practices at the recreation center’s pool, and both have attended the district’s after-school program. She noted Cassie has taken several different classes at the center, including yoga, tennis and cooking, and her family has attended the district’s annual Community Night celebration in August.
“I really believe in taking part in your community,” she said.
Waterfield said she wants to spend the first part of her tenure on the board learning more about the most pressing issues the district is working on. In particular, she said, she is interested in understanding whether there are opportunities to expand some of the district’s programming to middle-school kids.
“As a recreation center, you have so many contingencies that you’re serving,” she said, noting it’s important to understand what main groups utilize the center to find new opportunities for growth.
For example, she said, the district recently issued a survey to gather member feedback on adult and youth programs, and that data will be beneficial in figuring out how to best serve the community.
Waterfield said her professional career has required her to look closely at information and facts to make recommendations for strategic plans. She said she is accustomed to talking to people, examining data and handling situations where there is disagreement or pushback against a recommendation she made, all qualities she said will come in handy when serving on the recreation board.
She also said she hopes to draw from some of her volunteer experiences in her new role, noting she has volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco and been active at Strawberry Point, where she has helped out with the school’s book fair, movie night and as a crossing guard. Waterfield was also previously a volunteer with the Cygnet Society, a society of arts and letters for young people who are incarcerated.
Reach Naomi Friedland at 415-944-4627. Read the complete story in our e-edition, or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery and access to the digital replica.
Comment on this article on Nextdoor.