Sarah Barthole

Senior delivery manager,
Principal Financial Group 

Age: 37

Spouse: Brady Barthole

Children: Conner and Hudson 

Mentor: Emily Abbas, senior vice president of chief consumer banking and marketing officer at Bankers Trust. 

Reasons she is a Forty: Sarah led a grassroots, statewide effort throughout the 2020-2021 school year to advocate for giving parents the choice to send kids back to school full time. She ran for and was elected to serve on the Ankeny Community School District board of directors, the seventh-largest school district in Iowa, in November 2021. She played a key leadership role in the technical integration of transitioning customers from Wells Fargo’s Institutional Retirement and Trust after the business was purchased through the largest acquisition in Principal’s history. She served on the American Marketing Association’s Iowa board of directors that transformed the organization into one of the leading chapters in the country.

What are your goals in your role at your company? At Principal, I’m focused on continuous improvement as well as organizational and lean-agile leadership. We’re moving towards becoming more proactive and insights-driven in how we approach our work, while focusing on business outcomes and key results. Personally, I’m extremely passionate about investing in our organization’s culture, providing creative opportunities for team members to stay engaged and connected to each other across the globe.  

What are your goals for your community involvement? As a school board director for Ankeny Community School District, I’m building relationships and partnering with our superintendent Dr. Erick Pruitt, his cabinet and our community to collaborate on the district’s new five-year strategic plan. Also, making connections and starting conversations for how we can integrate more exposure to hands-on learning for postsecondary readiness earlier in students’ academic careers, to give them more access and opportunities to learn, grow and develop their skills and interests. 

What’s your biggest passion, and why? Connecting and collaborating, building meaningful relationships, and having engaging conversations with others gives me so much energy and drive. We’re better when we work together, and I love sharing my positivity and can-do mindset in any situation. I’ve seen and experienced firsthand the great things that can happen when you bring people together focused on one common mission.

Three hobbies: Going for runs and bike rides, cheering on my boys at their sporting events and activities, and boating on Lake Okoboji.

Fun fact: “Where there’s a helpful smile in every aisle.” She enjoyed working at Hy-Vee for five years until her freshman year of college, and all these years later, she still prefers to bag her own groceries.

One word to describe you: Spirited. 

What's one piece of advice that you would give to a young professional? Get involved in your community – both in areas of professional and personal interest. I always encourage young professionals to find a nonprofit to volunteer at or to serve on a committee or board. It’s a great way for you to give back while also learning and/or complementing skills that you may or may not already have. Stay curious and engaged, take risks and step outside of your comfort zone.  

What is one issue you would like to see Central Iowa leaders address, and why? With the Great Resignation, we’re seeing the impact of workforce shortages in our daily lives. What creative solutions and out-of-the-box strategies can we use to attract and appeal to prospective talent to join and be part of our growing community and economy? As our city continues to grow, it’ll be essential to have an engaged and connected workforce for everyone to live, work and play together.