If you want to know where agri-marketing is going, ask Sara. She’s already seen it, studied it, and figured out how excelling in digital spaces can help rural brands stand apart. Sara served as president of Paulsen from 2014 through 2021 before transitioning into her current role of Chief Technology Officer to further advance the agency’s impact in that arena.

Sara, a University of South Dakota alumna, was raised on a row-crop and livestock farm in southeastern South Dakota and joined Paulsen as a graphic designer in 1991. Her resume includes experience as a web developer and VP of Digital Services at Paulsen. She also served for seven years on the National Agri-Marketing (NAMA) Executive Committee, with two years as president of the professional organization. During her career, Sara was awarded the NAMA Marketer of the Year, the South Dakota Ad Federation Creative Legacy Award, and the Sioux Falls Business Journal Top Innovator of the Year.

Sara and her husband, John, have been married for 30 years, living on the land that has been in the Steever family since 1889. They have two children, John Thomas, a Mechanical Design Engineer for Sioux Steel in Lennox, SD, and Elizabeth, a Quality Assurance Team Lead for Schreiber Foods in Green Bay, WI. Because she doesn’t have enough on her plate, Sara and her husband also own and operate a rural bed-and-breakfast called The Steever House.