Sara Clair — Director of Client Service and Consultant Relations
I was raised in a small town south of Atlanta and never dreamed of living and working in New York City. But in the past eight years my husband’s military service has taken us to four states — all while I was trying to finish college, start a career and raise a family. Military life is challenging, and military spouses often feel forced to postpone their education and careers due to their spouse’s obligations.
I was determined not to put my education or professional life on hold. Thankfully, at our first duty station in Westport, Washington, I discovered Washington State University’s Distance Degree Program. WSU’s program gave me the tools needed to complete my degree at my own pace and from any location.
When we moved to New York in the spring of 2001, I continued to study at home for my college degree while looking for an entry-level position. That’s how I started at Daruma, where I gained my first exposure to the investment management business. At Daruma, I was quickly drawn to meeting our clients, even just by answering the phones. Knowing that I am able to get clients and consultants the help they need is extremely rewarding. One project that has been near and dear to my heart has been streamlining our quarterly reporting process. With the help of new written procedures, timetables for each write-up and a list of customized reporting preferences, I was able to expedite delivery of the quarterly reports. After two and a half years as the firm’s administrative go-to person, in 2004 I was promoted to Client Service Administrator and, again, in 2007, to Director of Client Service and Consultant Relations. I’m happy to say that, after six long years and four new cities, I've also met the challenge set in front of me so long ago: In 2004, I graduated from Washington State University with a BA in business administration.
My family and I are now located in Charleston, South Carolina, where I continue to work for Daruma full-time, telecommuting and traveling regularly to meet with colleagues at Daruma in New York City and with clients and consultants throughout the U.S. My new role consists of responding to client and consultant requests, preparing presentations for meetings with clients and consultants, and responding to Requests for Proposals. I also produce monthly client reports and assist in the production and design of Daruma’s quarterly performance reports, taking care to provide informative detail on portfolio allocations and sources of return and risk.
I’m excited about my new position and grateful that this firm continues to give me new challenges. I look forward to meeting each of our clients face to face and providing the exceptional service they have come to rely on over the years. I also welcome the responsibility of introducing Daruma to the consultant community, building effective relationships with manager research staff and field consultants, and obtaining regular feedback from consultants by participating in consultant and industry conferences.