Dr. Sterling is a member of several professional organizations including the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the American Association for State and Local History.  He has also served on the boards of both the Joliet Area Historical Society and the Joliet Area Historical Museum.  

In 1967, Dr. Sterling joined the staff at Joliet Junior College and served as Chair of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department for thirty years.  He also coordinated the college's Distance Education Department.  Sterling retired as a full-time faculty member in 2000, but continues to serve part-time as Director of JJC's Distance Education Department.

Dr. Sterling's wife, Jo Ann, is Professor of Education at the University of St. Francis in Joliet.  Their son, Geoffrey, and daughter-in-law, Kristina, reside in Denver, Colorado.