IPS Announces New Executive Director

The Iowa Psychiatric Society is pleased to announce the selection of Sara Stramel-Brewer as their new Executive Director upon the retirement of Karen Loihl who has served in that position for 17 years.

Sara graduated from Bradley University with a degree in marketing before attending the University of Iowa where she earned a masters degree in athletic administration and sports management.

Upon relocating to Indianapolis, Mrs. Stramel-Brewer took the position of National Events Director for the Indiana Sports Corporation. In this capacity, she developed event bids, assisted with sponsor solicitation and fulfillment, and handled all event-related operations for ISC’s national level events.

Mrs. Stramel-Brewer then assumed a position with the United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI) as the events manager. She managed UWCI’s annual meeting, golf outings, and created and saw through the development of a $100,000+ fundraiser for United Way; United on Broadway.

Following her time with United Way, Mrs. Stramel-Brewer served as assistant manager and bank officer for The National Bank of Indianapolis.

In 2007, Sara started her own company, Liz Group LLC, an independent marketing consulting firm specializing in association management, events, marketing, and sponsorship.

In 2015, Sara's husband joined the company which now boasts seven primary clients: Professional Development Associates (PDA), the Indiana Psychiatric Society (IPS), the Indiana Council of Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists (ICCAP), the American Association of the Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT), the Iowa Psychiatric Society (IPS), 2G Sports, and AmSpa.

In her various roles, Sara oversees association meeting management, sponsorship development and fulfillment, wellness program management, membership management, as well as development and execution of continuing education symposia. Sara also handles all marketing-related functions including brand advisement and fulfillment, electronic newsletter development, and website maintenance.

In her free time, Mrs. Stramel-Brewer enjoys cycling, golf, and traveling.