Chief officer of governance, advancement and community relations might sound like a mouth full, but according to her colleagues, it only scratches the surface of what Sarah Devlin has done during her time at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

Devlin is taking on a new role, having accepted the position to serve as senior advisor to the president at Durham Technical Community College.

After more than a decade at Rowan-Cabarrus, Devlin leaves behind a legacy defined by her co-workers as ever-optimistic. That quality is what her former boss, Rowan-Cabarrus President Dr. Carol Spalding, said she is going to miss the most.

“She always looks like she is the happiest person you have ever met,” Spalding said. “I think that she works hard to do that and it works for her. It’s great. She makes everyone in the room feel good.”

Devlin began working at Rowan-Cabarrus in 2012 the day after she graduated from Catawba College. According to her resumé, her first job was as an administrative assistant for the office of the president in addition to being a biology lab instructor. Biology was actually Devlin’s major while at Catawba.

“She came in as a temporary job,” Spalding said. “One of my cabinet members spotted her and then we started to work with her and she could perform …. She always got her work done on time, always beating the deadline.”

While Devlin was a student at Catawba College, career services director Robin Perry first took note.

“She was just an eager go-getter, competent, mature more than your typical college student I thought and pleasant,” Perry said. “She had it all.”

In Perry’s role, she directed students to their first jobs outside of school. With Devlin, her job was easier than other students.

“My job was to help students get ready for the real world,” Perry said. “Some got it. Some didn’t. She got it.”

The position at Rowan-Cabarrus sounded like a good fit for Devlin so Perry pushed her that way.

“It just sounded perfect for her because she had a lot of skills, just a little bit of everything,” Perry said.

Despite Devlin’s biology major, Perry saw other attributes that made the position tenable and steered her that way. In the intervening years, the two have only grown closer as members of Salisbury’s post-secondary academic circles.

“She was just an outstanding student, but we became friends and have stayed that way,” Perry said.

From outstanding student to outstanding staff member, Devlin rolled up her sleeves and went to work, exceeding expectations and taking her personal development into her own hands.

“She has developed herself,” Spalding said. “She has a master’s degree in public administration. It’s hard to get a master’s degree, work full time and be a mom, but she did.”

Devlin also obtained certifications as a fundraising executive, fundraising manager and as a certified public information officer through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In that role, Devlin served as the front-line communicator for the school.

“She was the PIO, so if there was ever bad news, it was her voice that people heard whether it was at 5 o’clock in the morning if it was a snow day or if something was wrong,” Spalding said. “She was the Swiss Army Knife of the college. She could do anything and work with anybody.”

Before officially leaving Devlin will be part of the Rowan-Cabarrus commencement ceremony on Friday which is slated to be one of the largest in recent history.

At Devlin’s farewell celebration, she shared heartfelt gratitude, saying, “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve this college and our community. I am deeply thankful for mentors like Dr. Carol Spalding, Carla Howell, my parents and so many others who have so generously poured into me. Serving our students every day is more than a job for me — it’s a vocation that I will never take for granted.”

In Devlin’s stead will step Dusty Saine, who will serve as the college’s interim director of governance and community relations and public information officer and Connie Rheinecker, who will serve as the college’s interim director of advancement.