Sarah Watkins

Sarah Watkins is the Vice President of Business Development at Valley Republic Bank, soon to be Tri Counties Bank, where she serves as a strategic financial partner to Kern County based companies advising on various aspects of financial transactions including commercial debt structuring, strategic capital investments, leverage finance, investment banking, global banking and treasury management.  Sarah was born and raised in Kern County, to a mother in agriculture, table grapes to be more specific, so her roots run deep into this community.  Both of Sarah’s parents graduated from McFarland High School and Sarah spent many childhood summers with her grandparents in Delano playing in the fields and orchards with farmworker children.  This is where her bond to the farmworker began.  Throughout the years Sarah has witnessed the challenges farmworkers have faced and she has become very passionate in her dedication to make a difference to those who give so much to Kern County.

Sarah graduated from Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, CA and attended Cal Poly, SLO where she received Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, concentration in Marketing, with minors in Psychology and Economics.  After 15 years working in pharmaceutical and medical devices sales, Sarah desired to work for an institution that helped her community thrive, so Sarah moved her career focus to Commercial Banking.  Sarah has spent years working with local Food and Agriculture companies, Farm Labor Contractors, and Agriculture Service companies to assess their banking needs.  In doing so, she has stayed in tune with the everchanging economic climate, regulations, and mandates placed in the agriculture industry, all of which, affect our local farmworkers.

Sarah is looking forward to her Board position to increase service and support to California Farmworkers by helping to provide more opportunities, programs, services, and assistance to aid in a better quality of life for those who work so hard to support our local community!