Sarah Martin
Park Supervisor // City of Phoenix
2026 Class of Pioneers in the Field

It started with a simple question: Who takes care of the field?

Sarah Martin was watching a football game in high school when the question sparked her curiosity. Her dad helped her find an answer in a massive college guidebook, the kind that existed before Google could point you toward a career in seconds.

That answer led Sarah from Wichita, Kansas, to Colorado State University at 18 years old, and eventually into a career that has spanned more than three decades, from professional baseball and spring training to soccer complexes, municipal parks and water resource management.

But when Sarah reflects on the career she built, the story isn't really about the fields she's managed or the positions she's held.

It's about the people who helped her find her way…and the people she now helps find theirs.

Finding Her Place

When Sarah arrived at Colorado State, she was one of very few women studying sports turf. Abby McNeal had graduated the spring before Sarah started, but the two quickly connected.

More than 30 years later, Abby remains one of Sarah's closest friends and one of the people who has witnessed her career from the beginning.

“Sarah truly forged her own path and helped carry the program forward,” Abby says.

Their relationship was shaped by Dr. Anthony J. Koski, a professor who became an important mentor to both women. Koski encouraged them to pursue scholarships and introduced them to what would become a much larger professional community through STMA and SFMA.

In 2024, Koski invited Sarah and Abby back to Colorado State to teach his class.

“Those two hours were extraordinary,” Abby recalls. “We shared our career journeys and the sports turf industry with students and reconnected with the professor who had shaped us.”

Koski passed away from cancer in 2025, making that opportunity even more meaningful.

For Sarah, the influence of those early mentors never stopped. Her own Mount Rushmore of people who have shaped her career continues to grow, filled with professors, peers, mentors and friends who showed her what was possible.

A Career That Kept Evolving

Sarah's early career took her through internships with professional baseball organizations, including the Wichita Wranglers, Colorado Springs Sky Sox and Kane County Cougars.

At Kane County, she faced a challenge she'd never encountered before: painting logos on the field.

“I had never painted a logo before. I didn't know how to lay it out,” Sarah remembers. “I was terrified.”

So she called Ross Kurcab, one of her early mentors. Ross called Ken Mrock, who came out and spent an entire day helping Sarah, even though the two had never met.

“I can't do it myself,” Sarah says. “It takes the team. It takes the group working together.”

Sarah Martin

They've exchanged Christmas cards ever since.

That story has stayed with Sarah because it represents something larger about the industry she found herself becoming part of.

“Networking is just amazing,” she says. “It's family.”

In 2002, Sarah joined the City of Phoenix, working with the Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training operation. What she expected to be a stepping stone became a 24-year career.

In 2006, she moved to Reach 11 Sports Complex and transitioned into soccer, eventually helping oversee a facility that grew from 10 fields to 18 soccer fields and four Little League baseball fields.

Through every transition, one lesson remained constant: she couldn't do it alone.

“I can't do it myself,” Sarah says. “It takes the team. It takes the group working together.”

Today, Sarah works as a Park Supervisor and water resource manager for Phoenix Parks, overseeing a flood irrigation crew and helping monitor water consumption across the city's parks.

And despite all the titles and responsibilities that have come with her career, ask Sarah where she feels most at home and the answer is surprisingly simple.

A lawnmower.

“I can zen out,” she says. “You can see your whole field.”

“She tells you exactly what you need to hear and supports you every step of the way,” Abby says. “In any group, she is the glue, the one who quietly connects everyone and holds it all together.”

Abby McNeal, longtime friend and colleague

Learning to Give Herself Grace

One of Sarah's biggest professional lessons has had little to do with turfgrass.
It's been learning that everything doesn't have to happen immediately, or perfectly.

Early in her time at Reach 11, Sarah wanted to accomplish everything at once. Over time, she learned to prioritize what mattered most: safety, playability, painting and the goals of the facility.

Sometimes, the sidewalks could wait.

That realization taught Sarah something she continues to carry with her: giving herself grace.

It's a lesson that seems especially fitting for someone whose career has been built around showing up for other people.

The Person You Can Count On

For those who know Sarah, her willingness to show up is one of her defining qualities.

Abby describes her as “the person you can always count on.”

“She tells you exactly what you need to hear and supports you every step of the way,” Abby says. “In any group, she is the glue, the one who quietly connects everyone and holds it all together.”

That quality has become especially visible through Sarah's involvement with the Little League Softball World Series and Women in Turf.

For the past five years, Sarah has been part of the all-women field crew, helping bring together women from across the industry and mentoring those who may be experiencing sports field management for the first time.

Chris Ball has seen that impact firsthand.

“She is our mom for the week,” Chris says.

Sarah arrives in Greenville early and stays through the tournament, making sure the Women in Turf crew has everything it needs, from lodging and logistics to all the behind-the-scenes details that allow the team to hit the ground running.

“Honestly, we couldn't have the success year in and year out without her support and passion for the event,” Chris says.

And when things inevitably get stressful, Chris knows Sarah will find a way to make him laugh.

“She has a great sense of humor and makes light of every situation,” he says. “I couldn't do what I do without her passion and support for the LLSBWS.”

“She's one of the original women in our profession,” Nick says. “She was one of the first SAFE scholarship recipients, maybe the first, and only the second female SFMA President.”

Nick McKenna, longtime friend and former SFMA Board colleague

Showing Others What's Possible

Sarah's influence extends well beyond individual relationships.

Her involvement with SFMA has included Board service, national committees and serving as only the second female president of the association. She has also been a longtime advocate for the Student Challenge, helping connect the next generation to the profession that changed her own life.

Nick McKenna, a longtime friend and former SFMA Board colleague, says Sarah is a pioneer “in sooo many ways.”

“She's one of the original women in our profession,” Nick says. “She was one of the first SAFE scholarship recipients, maybe the first, and only the second female SFMA President.”

But Nick says Sarah's impact isn't simply about being a woman in a historically male-dominated profession.

It's about what she does with the visibility she has.

Sarah often talks about the importance of “see it, be it”, the idea that people need to see someone like themselves in a role before they can imagine themselves there.

She doesn't wake up every morning trying to be “the greatest female” in sports field management.

She simply keeps showing up.

And that consistency matters.

Nick points out that Sarah is actually quite introverted. When she is outgoing at conferences and events, he says, it's intentional.

“She wants to be inclusive and bring out the best in others,” he says.

That's a distinction that says a lot about Sarah's leadership. She may not always feel like a natural leader, but she has worked deliberately to become someone others can rely on.

“She loves plants, rescue dogs and ice cream, and she brings that same warmth and care to the people around her,” Abby says. “I am blessed to call her my friend, supporter and champion.”

Abby McNeal

Finding Her People

Ask Sarah about the people who have shaped her life and career, and the list is long.

Abby. Paula Sliefert. Amy Fouty. Mentors. Colleagues. Friends. The men and women throughout the industry who answered calls, offered advice, opened doors and simply showed up when Sarah needed them.

She calls her closest circle her “ride or die” group, a “badass girl gang” she can call anytime.

“I would not be Sarah Martin without all of that,” she says.

Abby sees that same care in Sarah.

“She loves plants, rescue dogs and ice cream, and she brings that same warmth and care to the people around her,” Abby says. “I am blessed to call her my friend, supporter and champion.”

For Nick, once you're part of Sarah's circle, you're there for good.

“Sarah is an amazing person, friend, ‘Board Sister’ and enriches the lives of anyone who gets to know her,” he says.

Just Keep Showing Up

Sarah's career began because someone helped her answer a question.

Her dad found the book. Dr. Koski opened doors. Ross answered the phone. Ken showed up. Friends became family. Colleagues became mentors, collaborators and lifelong supporters.

And somewhere along the way, Sarah became that person for someone else.

Whether she's behind a mower, helping a young professional through Student Challenge, organizing an all-women field crew or answering a friend's call, Sarah continues to do what she has always done:

Show up.

Not for recognition. Not for a title.

Just to do the work, help the people around her and make sure the next person can see a path forward.

Because sometimes, showing someone what's possible is as simple as being there to show them where to start.

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