Striving to create community partnerships, Sarah Williams-Berg tries to connect people with resources and affiliates. Whether personally or professionally, she gets really excited when parties mutually benefit. Sarah has served as Director of Community Relations at Shorehaven for 35 years, and as Sergeant of Arms with Oconomowoc Rotary for 30 years. She partners strongly with Oconomowoc Area School District, is a proud member of the First Congregational UCC Church, and member City of Oconomowoc Senior Cohort group. Her finest friends are dancers with Hansing’s School of Dance, and she’s a strong supporter of the arts in the Oconomowoc area. She also has a Willy Nilly caricature drawing side business which allows her to explore people’s facial expressions, families and hobbies.
About Sarah Williams-Berg
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My husband Dave is a North Dakota farmer and we have two children, Abby Green and Eli Berg. They are married to really strong, tolerant, creative partners and we have four grandchildren, in Waunakee and Watford City, ND.
Q: Please tell us about your life and what you do (whether working in our community, a business owner, volunteer, etc.). How did you choose that path?
I’m a community advocate and networker, and have skills in promotion, writing and advertising. I enjoy working alongside volunteers/staff who strive to better the world we live in. The city’s Senior Cohort group is inspiring, as various factions work together to provide for senior proactivity and safety.
I like meeting people, getting inside their heads and finding out what makes them tick. I have a journalism degree and worked as a reporter and editor for the Blair Press, Ashland Daily Press, Walsh County Press and Oconomowoc Enterprise. There are always more than two sides of a story, and I still have loads of respect for good, solid reporting.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
Recognizing senior accomplishments as they overcome life’s challenges. Also, bolstering the confidence of OASD students who are facing obstacles. Shorehaven is committed to enhancing the lives of its residents, and in Rotary, we work to raise up students.
Q: What was the most difficult challenge in getting to where you are now or in your life?
Losing my first Oconomowoc Enterprise editor job when the entire news staff was laid off. The experience made us bond as news professionals and made us stronger going forward.
Q: What is the most rewarding part?
Realizing that you never know who you touch, who you’ve made a difference with, who you can raise up. Taking an obstacle and turning it into an opportunity.
Q: What are some of your future goals? Do you have anything exciting coming up that you would like to share?
Making sure that Shorehaven continues on a strong, faith-based path. Celebrating those people who built the neighborhoods, churches, parks, businesses and services we thrive in today.
Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in doing something similar to what you have done/are doing?
Don’t judge yourself. Be careful how you talk to yourself. Don’t worry about what anybody thinks of you, because believe me, they’re not even thinking about you!
Sarah Williams-Berg & Our Community
Q: What is your favorite thing about our community, favorite thing to do, or something unique about our community that you love? (Feel free to share as much as you’d like!)
How everyone pitches in to get it done, whether it’s building an arts center, a splash pad, a new kayak launch, a nature center, a bike path, an all-accessible park or a school garden.
Q: Who is an interesting person you’ve met here in our community, and how have they inspired you?
Betty Reul. She’s witty, self-deprecating, and holds the highest standards of integrity in providing scholarships and music education for youth.
Q: Do you have a favorite coffee shop, cocktail shop, or restaurant?
Anywhere we can eat outside or ride bikes to.
Q: What 3 words would you use to describe our community?
Grateful. Inspired. Directed.
For Fun
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I love anything with dogs, hiking, swimming and exploring. I like nature more than life itself, from a frigid, dazzling January night to a cooling July evening with fireflies performing the best summer theatre.
Q: What is your favorite book, TV show, movie, poem, or song? Why?
Movie: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – movie about a boy befriending a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp and the life’s lessons on friendships it teaches us.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
Mary Williams, my 97 year old mom. She always coached us to embrace a bigger world with less pettiness.
Q: If you were a drink (can be a coffee drink, alcoholic, non-alcoholic, etc.), what would you be?
A&W Root Beer: Bring Home the Root Beer. A good day is a day that makes room for root beer floats.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be with? Why?
My lunch buddies Megan Welsh, Maribeth Bush and Mary Reich. We don’t have an agenda, we don’t have to be interesting or intelligent, we giggle a lot and divulge the silliest things we’ve done that month.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
Watching my granddaughter Lucy run a seven-minute mile.
Q: What makes you the happiest?
Watching storms build over the Great Lakes. As kids, we always devoted time to keeping our heads in the clouds.
Q: Any general life advice you would like to share?
Don’t stereotype people. You never know what bus they’re on. Don’t depend on anyone or anything to make you happy. Use your imagination. Cultivate your creativity.
Nice To Meet You:
I believe in positively impacting my clients and the community I live in, which is why I jumped at the chance to be an ambassador with “The Faces of Lake Country”. It’s a perfect blend of why I enjoy being a Realtor with Shorewest, Realtors, and everything I love about living in Lake Country.
I truly enjoy being a part of this community and helping others along the way. Prior to real estate, I was an Office Supervisor for the City of Waukesha Park & Recreation Department. During this time, I had the opportunity to work with many business owners and serve the general public. It was there that I realized that it really does take a village to make a community great and each and every one of us plays an important role.
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