Sabrina Raber: The Power of Data-Driven Decision Making
The Path: Music to Community to Auxiliary
Sabrina Raber of The University School of Milwaukee has led remarkable growth in her two years as Director of Auxiliary Programs. This year’s revenue is projected to be $1,070,000 for summer and $1,227,759 for non-summer programs, a 26% increase since she began in April 2024. Net income rose from $221,013 in FY24 to $467,020 in FY26, a 111% increase.
The path Sabrina took to gain the experience and skills needed for success combines music training, entrepreneurship, and youth engagement. Starting out as a flute player at Ohio State, she realized that she was more interested in the business side of the music world.
“One thing musicians have is a peak critical viewpoint. Everything we do is under a microscope. There is no option for failure."
She shifted from performance to program development, earning a Masters of Music and Community Partnerships. For her thesis, she designed a music program for unhoused children using non-traditional instruments—buckets, bottles, cans, and pots and pans—and tracked the outcome. “I measured confidence and social skills and a lot of things I actually do right now in summer camp,” she says.
Sabrina went on to earn a Global Leadership Program certificate in arts entrepreneurship, gaining skills in budgeting, business models, marketing, and operations. After five years as Community Program Manager at the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, she was causally searching the Indeed site for new job possibilities. That’s when she noticed an opening for a Director of Auxiliary Programs.
“I thought, I have no idea what that means, but I see the job description and think maybe I’ll apply, who knows? I knew it was a much bigger job than I have ever done, but I was looking for a challenge.”
Early mentorship from her CFO, who had previously worked as the Director of Summer and Special Programs at another school, helped make her onboarding easier. “I was able to absorb a lot from him.”
The Professional Philosophy: Data-Driven Decision Making and Asking Why
Sabrina credits her analytical approach to planning and problem-solving to the rigor of music training: attention to detail, continual critique, and a drive for incremental improvement.
“One thing musicians have is a peak critical viewpoint. Everything we do is under a microscope. There is no option for failure. Every single time something is not working, I ask why, and I track all my programs from the very beginning. I keep asking why until I figure out the problem.”
“It’s so much easier to make decisions when they’re driven by data.”
At work, Sabrina has a reputation for being an Excel wizard for her love of spreadsheets. Before camp registration opens, she prepares “at least 15 different spreadsheets” to monitor enrollment trends and compare them to prior years.
When she noticed that enrollments were not where she expected, she turned to her spreadsheets. “I ask why, that’s the first thing. I pull this data, and I see there are people that registered at this point last year that haven't registered yet. Why?” Was cost, scheduling, or program experience the issue?
She decided to reach out to families and ask why. One family, whose child had previously signed up for nine weeks of camp, said they were going on vacation and hadn’t finalized their plans. This discovery prompted a change in messaging. “Instead of what's going on or where are you, we ask, are your plans set? Is there anything we can offer? How can we help with that?”
That single conversation spurred broader program changes: rethinking camp branding, creating distinct logos, and experimenting with new engagement techniques to make offerings more enticing. “Does that mean that we need to spend a little bit more money in this place? Do we need to put our resources into looking at different types of websites?”
And it all started with tracking the data. “It’s so much easier to make decisions when they’re driven by data.”
The SPARC Impact: Community and Professional Development
Sabrina credits SPARC for connecting her with a community of professional peers who understand the joys and challenges of her job. She has attended two national conferences and is already planning to attend the 2026 conference. “Because of SPARC, I don’t feel so alone. I’ve made friends, people I can call up when I have a question or a problem.”
“I’m always of the mindset of what we have is great, but we can be better."
Sabrina values the SPARC Dashboard for visualized, template-driven metrics, and uses tools found in SPARC Connect resources. “I’ve seen these tools in the business world, but never thought to make the connection that, for example, we should use a matrix to understand what is important in our programs.” She also encourages her team to attend SPARC roundtables.
Sabrina’s professional philosophy is simple but profound and always comes back to the why. “I’m always of the mindset of what we have is great, but we can be better. So why aren’t we?” That persistent why—paired with musical discipline, rigorous data practices, and a supportive community—drives sustainable growth and more impactful experiences for the youth her programs serve.