‘Game Changer,’ ‘Consummate Professional,’ and ‘Director of Joe’ Also Apply to PUSD’s Sarah Torres
By Hilary Dartt • Photo by Trisha Shaffer
Sarah Torres, Administrative Assistant to the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent and Governing Board, and a Prescott High School (PHS) alum considers herself the go-to person for the district’s administrative team, her co-workers, and the board.
The people with whom she works describe her a little differently, though:
“Sarah has been a game-changer for PUSD,” said Superintendent Joe Howard. “She is a consummate professional in every sense. She attacks problems, concerns, and questions with systematic and analytical approaches, always offering a solution with a compassionate response.”
“Sarah is smart, organized, capable, friendly, and funny,” said Rebecca Horniman, PUSD’s Marketing Director, who called PUSD the heart of the community—and Sarah is “the heart of the district.” She added, “She is a great asset and came to [the district] with a wealth of knowledge and experience from her former career in escrow and real estate.”
“As my assistant,” Joe said, “the directors in the district joke that she is the ‘Director of Joe,’ but she is much more than that. She is an administrative partner with care for kids, parents, staff, and community that comes as naturally as her smile.”
This summer, Sarah marks five years in the position. She calls applying the best decision of her life.
Officially, Sarah’s role is to handle the day-to-day operations for the district; Rebecca called her “a very important member of the District Leadership Team.”
She helps to ensure PUSD meets rigorous federal, state, and local regulations, and her work has played a significant part in the district receiving awards and recognition as a model district.
She supports the principals and administrators to manage the details of budgets, logistics, schedules, disciplinary actions, evaluations, and public relations, as well as Governing Board meeting agendas, meetings, and communications.
“Being helpful, assisting, and supporting others, is how I was raised,” Sarah said, “so I guess it is in my nature. It gives me great satisfaction to assist fellow employees, parents, and community members who contact me with questions or concerns.”
During her tenure at PHS (she graduated in 1995), Sarah enjoyed Tech Theater (for which she received her varsity letter in Drama). Students built sets for upcoming plays, helped with costume changes, and managed the stage, as well as many technical aspects behind the scenes.
“It was an intense class that required working late nights and weekends to ensure everything was perfect for the actors,” she said.
When she’s not working, Sarah loves to spend time with her family, including her husband, Leo, her 94-year-old mother, her 11 siblings (including a twin sister). As a PHS Badger, she loves watching her son, Nathaniel, play baseball (as a sophomore in 2022 he was a third baseman on the JV team). Also, she said, “Watching the Badgers on that gorgeous new [football] field under Friday night lights is awesome.”
For more information about Sarah Torres and the Prescott Unified School District, visit www.prescottschools.com.