Valerie Savage, a 2022 graduate of Viterbo’s Master of Arts in Servant Leadership (MASL) program, has pursued many dreams. From working as an educator to serving as a spiritual director to becoming a certified master scuba diver, Savage is a testament to lifelong learning. Her experience in the MASL program even led her to publish a book, Transcending through Servant Leadership.

Savage grew up in Black River Falls and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for communication arts and UW-Whitewater for elementary education. She lived in Madison for 10 years after graduation before moving to Atlanta for a job as an inner-city teacher. “Believe it or not,” she said, “at that time there were very few teaching jobs in Wisconsin.”

After teaching in Atlanta for two years, she decided she wanted to do something different and got a job as a claims adjuster at an insurance company. She enjoyed the new challenge of the work.

Thirty years later, Savage decided it was time to move back to Wisconsin with her young daughter, adopted from Russia, and return to working in the school system. As she neared retirement, she pursued many other interests, such as getting a certification as a licensed unity teacher, earning a third-degree martial arts brown belt, and becoming certified as a master scuba diver and cavern diver.

Savage’s next adventure was signing up for the Franciscan Spirituality Center’s Spiritual Direction program in La Crosse. “For the next three years, I enjoyed the spiritual exploration toward my certification,” she said.

A friend of hers told her she was considering Viterbo’s Master of Arts in Servant Leadership program as a next step from the Spiritual Direction program. “I investigated this program, and it felt like this was my next step, too. I had wanted to get a master’s degree, and servant leadership was so inviting to integrate a spiritual and moralistic perspective on leadership for organizations.”

Savage said she thoroughly enjoyed her experience in the MASL program. “Going to Viterbo has been a dream come true. I found that each class was so interactive with ideas, experiences, and learning. I enjoyed it all, even during the COVID online experience. I found myself transformed with confidence in understanding a new view of how to interact with the world, and I found a vehicle to share my ideas and insights with others. This for me has been transformative in my life.”

In her MASL coursework, Savage sought to expand upon the 10 characteristics of servant leadership in a creative experience. “Every couple of weeks, I would bring in a painting and a story for each characteristic,” she said. “Professor Tom Thibodeau suggested that I add more to each one, like a meditation or questions. I added a meditation, a story starter, a journaling question, and a place to create your own inspiration.”

These efforts became Savage’s book, Transcending through Servant Leadership, which guides readers to explore what is known within themselves.

“Valerie is an artist whose images and words capture our imagination and stir our hearts,” said Thibodeau, Viterbo’s distinguished professor of servant leadership. “In her book, Valerie is leading us on a journey of the heart into compassion, competence, and commitment to the common good.”

She is currently working with Heather Felty, publisher at Inner Peace Publishing, to create 10 books for children based upon the 10 characteristics of servant leadership. It will have stories and illustrations geared toward children and probing questions for parents. “It will be about finding the leader within and seeing the leader without,” she said.

Savage strives to be an example for her daughter and is motivated by seeing younger generations grow. “There are so many creative energies happening in our world right now. What an inspiring time to be alive and participate in them.”