The mentor who made me: How Sterling Church shaped my leadership
The world lost another legend recently — and I lost the man who taught me how to lead.
Sterling Church wasn’t just a university administrator. He was my first real mentor, and without him, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I met him when I was 19, a hotheaded, feral college student with more passion than polish, walking into his office to get approval to run for student body president and a seat on the Board of Trustees at Southern Utah University. It was a formality required by the university, but that moment changed the course of my life.
Over the next six years, Sterling became my compass. He was my coach, my friend, my sounding board, and my biggest supporter. I talked to him nearly every day during that formative time — about politics, philosophy, leadership, and the big questions of life. Those conversations, born from his mentorship, laid the foundation for the kind of leader I would eventually become.
There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t pull wisdom from Sterling’s teachings. Sometimes it’s a quote, sometimes it’s a memory, and sometimes it’s simply the way he modeled quiet, patient, steady leadership. He read everything. He thought deeply. He never chased the spotlight but made sure others were ready when it found them. He elevated everyone around him, and he did it without ego.
Sterling would help me prep for university board meetings by reading through a 2-inch-thick packet of documents — a pre-read for the utmost preparation — and pointing out the issues he thought I should raise. Not issues that he would raise himself but the ones he wanted me to shine on. That’s the kind of mentor he was. He taught me to be prepared, to be thoughtful, and to be brave. And then he got out of the way so I could rise.
As I sit in my role now as CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, I realize just how rare that kind of mentorship is. Sterling didn’t try to mold me into a mini version of himself. He saw who I was and helped me to become a better, fuller version of that person. He believed in me before I believed in myself. He gave me room to screw up — and trust me, I did — but he never lost patience. Never raised his voice. Just gave me that wry smile and steady support.
Mentorship isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s about seeing potential and holding space for someone to grow into it. It’s about listening more than talking and offering wisdom with humility. Sterling was all of that and more.
So today, in Vice President Church’s honor, I want to challenge each of us — especially those of us in leadership — to look around and ask: Who are we mentoring? Who are we investing in the way someone once invested in us? We all got here because someone believed in us, taught us, supported us. Let’s pay that forward.
Because the truth is, leadership isn’t about how high you climb. It’s about how many people you bring with you.
Thank you, Sterling Church, for bringing me with you.
-Julie
