Age: 34
President, Shawano Area Young Professionals
Samantha Sperberg has spent her career saying yes, and it’s taken her to places both exciting and unexpected.
After 12 years as an insurance agent, Sperberg stepped back to focus on her 4-year-old son and deepen her commitment to the Shawano community. Today she serves as volunteer president of saYPro, a role she’s held since 2021, alongside leadership positions with organizations including Shawano’s Hometown Heroes, Leadership Shawano County and the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce.
Her driving mission is getting young leaders engaged locally.
“One of the most fulfilling parts has been encouraging others to step into roles they normally wouldn’t see and watching them blossom, getting more involved and being successful leaders,” says Sperberg, who grew up on her family’s horse farm in Shawano.
Biggest break: Having the opportunity to step into leadership roles within organizations I care deeply about. Being trusted to help guide initiatives and support community efforts has opened doors I never expected and helped me grow both personally and professionally. Those opportunities didn’t just happen; they came from showing up, getting involved and being willing to say yes.
People are surprised to learn: I grew up on my parents’ horse farm, where we bred, trained and sold horses, provided riding lessons and guided trail rides, operated a boarding facility and ran a tack shop. I grew up showing horses and fell in love with rodeo life. In 2006 I was Shawano’s Little Britches Rodeo Queen and in 2010 I was Mid-Western Rodeo Queen out of Manawa.
I wish I’d known: it won’t be perfect or how others may see it. It is OK to pivot, follow opportunities that align with your values and season of life. Sometimes unexpected, but to follow your heart and keep moving.
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