PUC’s Executive Director of Financial Administration, Sam Heier, started working at PUC in March but graduated from the college in 1999. Growing up in a small town near Stuttgart, Germany, Sam moved straight to PUC in 1996 and was an ESL student struggling to catch on the language. Working at the college market for three years helped him learn to speak English while getting to know good people, including his wife, and get used to life in America. 

Tell us about being an Executive Director of Financial Administration. 

Financial admin oversees accounting, student finance, HR, facilities management, employee housing, the market, ACE and Chevron, IT, campus security, Albion, the Flight Center, and the PUC Forest. I’ve been drinking from a fire hydrant since I got here and enjoyed (most of) it! 😊

What brought you to PUC? Why did you decide to work here? 

God answered some very specific prayers in such a clear and direct way that we had no choice! 😊 We were looking for an area with strong Adventist education options for our two sons in elementary and high school, and while PUC wasn’t on our list, it was on God’s. I met my wife at PUC and had a great experience here as a student in the 90s, so it’s a special place for me. In conversations with Dr. T. and others in leadership, I became convicted of the great potential for PUC’s future and decided I wanted to join the team. 

What is your favorite thing about being a part of the Pioneers family? 

Coming from the private industry for the past 20+ years- the most positive and somewhat unexpected change has been to see prayer and worship consistently incorporated into meetings and day-to-day operations. Seeing a group of 20 men and women drop to their knees at the daily Facilities team worship for the first time was an experience that’ll stick with me. 

Another highlight is the frequency of events on campus, be it intramurals, church potlucks, campouts, sports events, or music concerts. What I didn’t anticipate before coming here is how connected the elementary and high schools, the college, and the church are. If you put yourself out there and get involved in any of these, you’re sure to be blessed.

Do you have a favorite place to eat in the Napa Valley? 

My family didn’t move here until late July, and we haven’t left “the hill” much yet, but the times we’ve been to Tra Vigne in St. Helena, we’ve really enjoyed their food. 

Where is your dream vacation?

I would love to visit Australia and New Zealand someday. 

Finish this sentence: On Sunday mornings you can find me… 

…riding my bicycle, exploring Napa and Sonoma county roads, and inflicting as much pain as possible on my fellow riders… actually more like trying to survive and trying to keep up with them.