2024 Rising Star Award Recipient

Sarah J. Buszka

Senior Relationship Manager, Stanford University

For her outstanding leadership, empathy, and commitment to fostering young professional engagement in higher education; for her expertise in navigating the technical and strategic challenges of the field; and for her active role in elevating the voices of young professionals within the EDUCAUSE community.

The 2024 EDUCAUSE Rising Star Award is presented to Sarah J. Buszka, whose empathy and care distinguish her in all professional interactions. Her sharp emotional intelligence, eagerness to learn, extensive experience, and exceptional work ethic make her a deserving recipient of this award.

Sarah has established herself as an engaged, hardworking leader who expertly navigates the people, business, and technical aspects of higher education. She began her career in 2013 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she took on positions of increasing responsibility, progressing from the role of Technical Support Help Desk Specialist to Process Improvement Specialist & Engagement Coordinator. Sarah spearheaded the first-ever Student Leadership Advisory Council and was instrumental in creating a talent pipeline within the IT organization that integrated students and young professionals into various technical roles, including email/calendar and cybersecurity operations support.

In 2017, Sarah was appointed as the inaugural Critical Infrastructure Service Lead at UW-Madison. Her responsibilities included creating a service and portfolio wrapper around six critical infrastructure services, including the hosting of essential university websites, the campus door access and building automation systems, the campus security video service, the campus payment card industry technical infrastructure, and the technical, cybersecurity, and networking infrastructure to support the Federal Select Agent Program.

In 2021, Sarah embarked on a new chapter in her career, transitioning to Stanford University. Here, she serves as Senior Technology Strategist and Relationship Manager within the central IT organization, University IT. In this role, Sarah is a trusted advisor to over thirty executive technology leaders across seven schools and dozens of business units. Her selection to co-lead an enterprise administrative data management and governance initiative is a testament to her expertise and leadership skills.

Sarah is also a second-year Master of Public Administration (MPA) student at Cornell University. Her research focuses on the intersections of education, technology, policy, and organizational culture, aiming to prepare institutions and teams to address complex challenges. Her recent article, “Shaping our AI Future: A Policy Perspective on Ensuring Innovation and Safeguarding Democracy,” published in the Cornell Policy Review Journal, underscores her emerging expertise in foreign and domestic AI policy.

Outside of her many professional achievements, Sarah is an actively engaged member of the EDUCAUSE community. As Chair of the Young Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC), she has been instrumental in fostering young professional engagement and increasing retention in higher education careers. She has authored two EDUCAUSE Review articles and co-hosts the EDUCAUSE Rising Voices podcast, elevating the voices of young professionals and sharing their inspiring stories.

Sarah epitomizes the characteristics of an EDUCAUSE Rising Star. Her collaborative leadership, exceptional community-building skills, and inspirational mentorship have profoundly impacted the higher education landscape, both today and for the future.

This EDUCAUSE Award is sponsored by Moran Technology Consulting, Mission Partner.