Sara Shepherd

About

Starting off in education, I helped my parents build a very successful after school care program in Miami, Florida. We did tutoring and homework help, as well as summer camps and field trips. Sadly, the 2020 pandemic forced the closure of the program, which allowed my mother to retire after nearly 30 years, and enjoy her grandchildren.

Taking a step back to 2018, I was given an opportunity to work in customer support in agriculture. This was so far outside my area of study, and my comfort zone, but I was ready for the challenge. Now as I approach my eighth year in this industry, I remind myself often that I am part of helping farmers produce the food we eat.

From sports broadcasting to church leadership, the ways I have moved through my career to land in, and fall in love with agriculture astound me every time I think about it. When I reflect, I can see how each job, each experience, and each moment shaped me to be the person I am now.

Career Highlights

Moments that shaped my professional journey

January 2025

Began working with international customer support teams to help build what I had successfully implemented for the North America team

May 2024

Earned Masters in Leadership and Management, Emphasis in Organizational Development and Change

February 2023

Led the North America teams to increase customer experience ratings and team health by nearly 50% in under one year

March 2020

Led the customer care teams through the pandemic with mentoring, virtual team events, and (eventually) after hours celebrations

June 2018

Co-founded a travel agency specifically for streamlining travel for missionary and non-profit workers

December 2016

Moved to Madrid, Spain to work for and international bridal magazine, eventually leaving that role to work at an international church

Project Highlights

Collaborative efforts leading teams and projects throughout my career

Project Happy Customer

Led a comprehensive global audit of customer support processes and operations, conducting interviews with over 50 stakeholders to identify efficiency opportunities and pain points. The insights gained from these discussions are directly informing strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the overall global customer experience.

Project Beacon

Appointed Project Manager to lead the collaboration between Climate FieldView and John Deere, driving the development of a seamless end-to-end digital workflow and user experience that integrates data-driven agronomic seeding prescriptions from FieldView Seed Advisor into executable Work Plans within the John Deere Operations Center.

Product Launch - Australia

Nearly three-month assignment in Australia to support the launch in the region, develop the Customer Care team, train new hires, build support processes, and establish connections between the ANZ and North America teams to optimize workflows and foster strong partnerships.

Product Launch - Mexico

Led the implementation of operational processes and digital customer support tools for the Mexico Support Team, delivering training sessions in Spanish to ensure the team was fully equipped to manage internal order-to-cash processes and subscription handling effectively.

Platform Migration

Proactively identified and implemented a cost-effective solution in collaboration with technical teams, resulting in a $90k savings for the North America Customer Care organization. The new tool met customer and support team data needs, complied with company security requirements, provided significant cost efficiencies for all stakeholders.

Software Licensing Analysis

A critical data management tool used globally by support teams to assist customers with their FieldView data was at risk due to a new license model. I collaborated with IT to identify a compliant, cost-effective solution that minimized disruption. This solution ensured continued access to the tool for all teams globally while saving the organization nearly $400k in licensing.

Skills and Software

An un-comprehensive list of special skills and software experience