Sauder earned a B.A. in journalism and communication from Southern Adventist University in 1978.[1] She received a M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1989.[2][1] Sauder earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Andrews University.[2] Her 2008 dissertation was titled, Marketing Seventh-day Adventist Higher Education: College-Choice Motivators and Barriers.[1] Loretta B. Johns was her doctoral advisor.[1]
In 1990, Sauder joined Southern Adventist University as an assistant professor of business and management.[1] She was promoted to associate vice president for academic administration and director of institutional research and effectiveness in 1996.[1] In 1998, she became the vice president for marketing and enrollment services.[1] Sauder became the 29th president of Union College in 2014.[3] She is its first female president.[3] Sauder announced she was stepping down in 2024 and will be succeeded by Yamileth Bazan.[3]