When Sarah Pritchard began an internship to put her communications studies skills to use, she instead discovered a passion for working with non-profit organizations. After spending a couple of years working for the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival and nearly six years doing consulting work for non-profit organizations in several states, Pritchard was hired last month as director of the Iowa Historical Foundation.

Where are you from?

I grew up in Bettendorf.

What was your first job out of college?

After graduating from the University of Iowa, I got an internship working for the Freedom Festival in Cedar Rapids.

How did that job shape your career?

I was attracted of the internship because of the public relations component. But the organization was so small that the job really involved being a jack of all trades, with event planning, volunteer coordinating, public relations and fund raising. I found that I really enjoyed fund raising. I had an excellent mentor there, the director, who taught me a lot. That’s where my love of not-for-profit organizations and fund raising grew from, and I had no idea that that was the path I would take.

What do you like about fund raising?

What I liked most then at my first job, and what I still enjoy today, is the opportunity to work with so many different people and tap into other people’s passions. I enjoy working with them to help them see a mission and a vision come true based on their gift of money or time.

How did you begin consulting work?

I went into the staff position at the Freedom Festival thinking that although I really liked that work, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do career-wise. I left the door open for other opportunities, and that’s when I moved back to the Quad Cities to begin working for Braren Mulder German Associates Inc. They do consulting for not-for-profit organizations. I focused on feasibility studies and capital campaign consultation.

How did you like consulting?

I enjoyed it immensely. I think it was a really good learning opportunity for me because I was able to take what I learned at one organization that did things very well and apply it across the board. In many ways, I thought it was seven years of experience for each year I worked there because it was such a broad range of clients I was working with.

What interested you to this job?

One, I’m a sixth-generation Iowan, and my family has very deep roots in this state. I am very invested in the state’s history, how we promote it, how we educate our youth and how we preserve our stories, and there is no better place to do that than the State Historical Society of Iowa. I also think it’s a really exciting time for the museum. We’ve opened five new exhibits this year, which is huge for us, and we have new and unique programming associated with each of them. This is really the chance for the museum to make its mark in the community.

What will be new to you in this position?

The membership component. We have over 1,400 members who receive our publications such as Iowa Heritage. Increasing membership is probably the newest thing for me. Another exciting thing for me will be securing sponsorships and putting together our annual giving campaign.

Was history a subject you enjoyed in school?

Well, not any more than the others. I would say that I have an interest in history from the perspective of the participant. I’m not a scholar, but if you can tell me a story about history, I find it fascinating. I like the interesting things you can find out about history – those things that aren’t necessarily in textbooks, but what really happened behind the scenes.

Describe your family.

My husband, Lynn, used to be a chef in the Quad Cities, and he’s now working for a company that does food service sales and consulting for restaurants. We moved here at the end of April.

What do you do outside work?

We love to travel, and because my husband is a chef, we love food and wine and eating at different restaurants. But reading is probably my biggest pastime.

What do you like to read?

Believe it or not, historical fiction. I like the historical stories from the perspective of a fictional character.

What are some of your favorite books?

“The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant is an old favorite, and “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is one I read recently in my book club that I loved. It’s about a young boy coming of age during the Spanish Civil War.

What is your favorite period in history?

Probably the McCarthy era, from a communications studies standpoint. We studied it in college in regards to persuasion.

If you could sit down with anyone from history, who would it be?

Probably my grandpa. I knew him, but not long enough.

– Sharon Baltes