Leading with compassion: Sara VonAllmen

Sara VonAllmen

There’s something to be said for empowered women in the workplace. Sara VonAllmen learned this when she joined our team over 4 years ago. “The person I was reporting to was female, her boss was female and [the person] above her was female. Also, the board chair was female. That was something I had never seen before. It was my first opportunity to be exposed to women in leadership and what that could look like,” Sara said. Being in the room with these women and part of the conversations clicked for her. It felt right.

Sara started her career in the restaurant industry when she was 15 years old. She attended the University of Louisville and received a degree in Business Management. From there, she became a consultant with Subway restaurants. “I would go into restaurants and advise them. I would tell them what would be good for their financial success and how to manage products,” said Sara. She did that for 6 years and then became a General Manager for 3 Subway locations. At that time, she thought her future pointed towards purchasing and owning a restaurant. However, the demands of the role gave Sara little work life balance.

That’s when she started her career with us as executive coordinator and assistant to the Red Cross Kentucky Region CEO. “Everything they told me in the job interview has been true to their word. I’ve been able to leave the office and not take work with me. I’ve been able to be more present for my family. It’s good because of supportive people like Steve Cunanan and Jennifer Adrio,” said Sara. Steve is our current region CEO and Jennifer was his predecessor.

We talked with Sara about the “unseen” work of assistants. We all know those individuals who go beyond their job descriptions and lend a hand. Sara explained that assistants are event planners: “We have to think through every detail of both on-site and off-site meetings/events to ensure our attendees will have a positive, engaging experience and they walk away with something meaningful.”

Sara and her family

Assistants are “I.T.”- troubleshooting the technology at events. Assistants are advisors. “I have been used as a sounding board. The leadership team wants to ensure they are sending out information that will be well received... The better listener you are, the better you can help close the gaps,” said Sara.

Sara is “A department of one,” so she is an invaluable asset to the team with a wealth of knowledge. Assistants are creators and self-sufficient- they find ways to make meetings fun and thoughtful. She laughs when talking about people explaining her role, saying, “People don’t know how to introduce me. They say: This is Sara- she does a lot of things!”

You might have already guessed Sara has been a trailblazer for initiating programs. She created the hands-only CPR initiative in Kentucky. “In 4 months, we trained 550 people across the state. 90% of that is youth. The South Central Kentucky (SCKY) chapter has taught the program in different languages and represented 15 different nationalities,” said Sara.

Sara was selected as a Serving Leader facilitator for our division. “For me, Serving Leader is about taking what I value for myself and bringing that opportunity back. It’s important I feel valued. It’s important when I show up, I feel supported... How can I give my coworkers the tools to be a little introspective? How can things look differently?” Sara reflected. She dedicated over 100 hours of training to become an instructor.

Sara with her dad and daughter

She is our staff lead for our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee. Sara sends out staff newsletters with thought provoking narratives. “It was a way to send something to our staff that wasn’t asking them to do something. I wanted to give them a chance to escape work and think about something different,” she said. Sara is most proud of her growth in her personal and professional life due to her work with DEI.

Sara’s dad passed unexpectedly last year. Through DEI, she has connected with coworkers on a deeper level while managing her grief. “I am not a person who knows the experience of everyone, I only know my own. But I’ve worked hard to show people there’s so many differences between all of us. Let’s take a pause and recognize that and use the information in how we speak to ourselves and how we speak to coworkers,” she said. Sara has been able to show our staff that diversity is more than religion, the color of your skin, and where you were born.

Sara is married to Brian, and they have 3 kids: Asher, Emily, and Avery. She is a homebody and enjoys being with her family at home. She also loves to bake and has a side business making macarons.

A batch of Sara's homemade macarons