Meet Sara Krueger (MBA ’19), vice president of partner relationships in the digital healthcare industry and the first alum featured in our new series Alumni Insights: Career Advice from Ducks in the Wild.
Sara’s career has been shaped by staying true to herself, paying attention to the people around her, and saying yes to opportunities that did not always follow a traditional path. And as a Duck, she is always happy to connect with students and alumni who are navigating their own journeys.
In this interview, Sara shares insights from her 15 years in the workforce and the leadership lessons that helped her grow into the professional she is today.
A More Modern Way to Lead (And Becoming a Whole Human at Work)
Sara vividly remembers a moment during her MBA program when a professor introduced her to the difference between 20th century and 21st century leadership. Until then, she believed she was supposed to keep her personal and professional selves separate.
But she realized that this old mindset was holding her back.
Learning that today’s leaders need to show up as whole humans entirely changed the way she approached her work. “Approaching leadership in a more holistic way translates authenticity to your team,” she said. Once she allowed parts of her personal life to be visible, her relationships deepened and her team responded with trust. She saw more success in her early management roles, but she also felt more fulfilled and connected to the work she was doing.
Why You Should Start Networking Early
For Sara, networking is not something you begin once you graduate–it’s important at every stage of your career, and she encourages students to treat networking as a long-term practice. In fact, many people she met 10 or 15 years ago continue to be valuable connections today in ways she could not have predicted!
Her advice for students:
- Build a wide, diverse network
- Be open to connecting with people at all stages of their careers
- Add UO alumni and current students on LinkedIn to start creating momentum.
As she put it, “Anytime I come across a UO alumni, it is always an open door.” Ducks consistently support Ducks, and she encourages students to take advantage of this built-in community (we’re looking at you, Lundquist Connect).
How to Find and Recruit Mentors
Sara’s perspective on mentorship is quite unconventional.
She believes that the strongest mentor relationships rarely happen by accident. In fact, some of her most influential mentors today initially told her “no”.
But instead of giving up, she continued to reach out to people she genuinely admired and kept coming back with updates, questions, and genuine interest. These small, consistent touchpoints over time helped her mentors see her commitment and potential. As she puts it, “You are recruiting them, they are not recruiting you.”
Relationship Skills That Last for Years
One of Sara’s most effective networking habits is that she keeps reminders of birthdays and meaningful dates for colleagues on her calendar and sends quick, thoughtful messages when they come up.
It is a small gesture, but over time this has allowed her to stay closely connected with people long after they stopped working together daily. These touches keep relationships warm, even when years pass between conversations.
As she put it, “People always remember how you make them feel.”
Why Nonlinear Career Paths Create Unique Value
Sara ended her interview with the advice she wishes she had heard earlier in her journey: avoid assuming your career has to follow a linear track. Many of her most meaningful opportunities came from being open to unexpected paths rather than following a “traditional” sequence.
She never stayed in one narrow lane, and the diverse, eclectic experiences that followed ultimately became one of her biggest strengths. Today, she believes that this uniqueness sets her apart and has helped her earn roles because it has given her a broader perspective and stronger creative problem-solving skills.