Sara Gravitt receives SAIR Outstanding Service Award

Sara Gravitt is the recipient of the 2026 James R. Montgomery Outstanding Service Award from the Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR). The award was presented during the association’s opening session and awards ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The James R. Montgomery Outstanding Service Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to SAIR over an extended period. Recipients must have been SAIR members for more than five years and meet at least two additional criteria related to leadership, professional service and contributions to the association.

Gravitt has served on the SAIR Nominating Committee, as chair of the Financial Advisory Committee, as secretary of the SAIR Board of Directors and as SAIR president. Nationally, she has served on the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Board and as AIR treasurer.

She began her career at Wake Forest University in 1996 and has accumulated approximately three decades of experience in the profession. Her work and conference presentations have included institutional research, accreditation support, survey administration, faculty activity reporting, data analysis and the development of institutional information resources.

As her nominator noted, “Sara’s sustained professional experience has allowed her to contribute to SAIR not only as an organizational leader but also as an experienced practitioner who understands the changing responsibilities of institutional research offices. Sara has demonstrated that service is not defined by a single office or title. Her contributions span different periods of SAIR’s development and include both visible leadership and the quieter work needed to sustain a healthy professional association.”