Innovating Student Housing Solutions Begins with People
Sarah Prescott began working with ACC as a Community Assistant at The University of Texas at Austin while pursuing her Economics degree in the early 2000s – and says her experience as a student employee was invaluable, ultimately shaping her career path for the next 20 years.
“A pivotal moment occurred for me while attending Inside Track, an annual conference designed especially for emerging managers within ACC,” Sarah recalls. “It helped me determine how to leverage my foundational skills in operations and envision my working future. My career since has been guided primarily by my passions.”
Sarah spent her first decade with ACC in operations, cultivating key relationships with ACC’s partner universities. In Tempe, Arizona, she helped partner with Arizona State University and establish our long-term strategic housing plan to support ASU’s enrollment growth, which naturally grew her operational expertise.
Sarah then made the move to ACC’s corporate team, focused on leasing and marketing – and beginning to recognize the transformative power of data as the company invested in advanced technologies and intelligence.
“My enthusiasm for implementing innovative technology solutions has become a defining aspect of my career,” affirms Sarah. “I deeply value ACC’s commitment to staying at the leading edge of technological advancement. Whether through artificial intelligence, automation or enhanced data intelligence, we’re dedicated to future-proofing our industry. Today, as Vice President of Business Solutions, I bridge the gap between operations and technology, continuously evolving ACC’s technological landscape.”
Sarah was immersed in her role in 2024, as she spearheaded the development of a new property-management software with a vendor partner and introduced it at the ACC Leadership Conference.
“The conference theme was ‘Success Reimagined,’ which includes reimagining software solutions,” Sarah attests. “This transformational property-management software and other technological advancements will set new standards for student housing and pave the way for more successful partnerships down the road.”
Sarah also won the 2024 companywide AI Acceleration Challenge imagining how better intelligence can help predict, price and market for students entering the real-estate lifecycle.
“I had a persistent issue in mind, and I researched, imagined and tried to eliminate logical barriers,” remembers Sarah. “My idea took shape in my head, and I eventually made a video to tell its story. The winning formula was 80% innovation, 15% presentation and 5% good luck – leading to a 100% memorable prize vacation to the Greek island of Corfu!”
But Sarah’s 2024 leadership work wasn’t done yet. Following several years of volunteering through ACC for the Austin Pride Festival, Sarah decided to become more involved. She joined Austin Pride, and became Co-Chair of the 2024 event, primarily responsible for vendor management.
“It was a blast, and celebrating all of our blood, sweat and tears on the day of Pride gave me a renewed respect for how the LGBTQIA+ community shows up for each other,” confirms Sarah. “ACC planted the seed by organizing the original volunteer efforts and encouraging us to always give back. I now serve as a member of the Board of Directors at Lifeworks – another ACC charity partner – and my experience with Austin Pride helped prepare me for it.
“Truly, one of my favorite things about working at ACC is all the opportunities offered to me to reflect my own values and greater identity – both in the workplace and in the world,” she concludes.
