Sarah Willis, MBA
A self-professed “lab rat,” Sarah’s 30-year career spans work in the environmental, research, microbiological and analytical chemistry disciplines. Sarah has been with Molson Coors Beverage Company since 1999, most recently promoted to the position of manager, Quality Process Lab at MCBC’s Fort Worth, Texas brewery where she leads a team of five microbiologists and seven chemists in performing and monitoring hygiene, yeast management and product quality. Sarah first realized the possibility of attending an HBCU as a junior in high school when her English teacher, a black man and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., presented the opportunity. While researching and applying to schools, the head of the chemistry department at Alcorn State University, a black man who earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Marquette, reached out to her personally about attending Alcorn. That was Sarah’s first encounter with a black man with a doctorate in anything, let alone in the field she wanted to study. It was his personable approach and the sense of community she was subsequently showered with that lead her to enroll at Alcorn. It was the best decision of her life.
A native of Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood and a product of the Milwaukee Public School system, Sarah credits her parents for creating an environment where diversity in all things, cultural, economic, political and thought was expected and encouraged. As a professional in a field with very few women and even fewer people of color, her life experiences, coupled with her passion for social justice and equity, have helped to create a reputation as a connector and collaborator who isn’t afraid to challenge unconscious bias and promote open dialogue in spaces where she is very often the only woman and/or person of color in the room.
Sarah earned an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a Physics minor from Alcorn State University. She is mom to one wonderful son, Kevin, Nana to one cat, Taco, an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and an avid fan of Wisconsin sports, especially the Green Bay Packers.
