Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a marketing strategist who helps organizations find their people and keep them: members, attendees, customers, readers, and fans.

I started at the Kennedy Center, where I booked talent and ran shows for a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. That job taught me that a great program means nothing if no one knows about it. I’ve been working on the “knows about it” part ever since.

From there I raised money for Northlight Theatre, including the most successful gala in its history, and built trade show audiences at Hannover Fairs USA. Then I spent five years at Smithbucklin, leading marketing for international associations. I rebranded two of them, managed a team of six, built AI tools now rolling out across the company, and generated more than $1.4M in annual revenue. Today I also work with private lenders, authors, and independent artists and musicians who want that same thinking on their side.

How I work

• Strategy and execution, together. I can present a roadmap to your board in the morning and fix the email automation that afternoon.
• Clear plans, clear reporting. You’ll always know what we’re doing, why, and what it’s producing.
• Calm under deadline. Event marketing taught me to plan for the crunch and stay steady when it comes.
• Honest about tools. I use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to speed up research and first drafts. The strategy, the editing, and the judgment calls are mine.

How I lead

I lead the way I’d want to be led: with honesty, support, and room to figure things out. At Smithbucklin, I managed six direct reports and led client teams of 2 to 10 people.

• I listen first. When someone brings me a problem, my job is usually to help them think it through, not to hand them my answer.
• I’m direct, and I come with options. Honest feedback lands better when it comes with resources and a path forward.
• I help with the hard parts. My team came to me for the people and politics behind the work as much as the work itself.
• I teach the systems. I set up tools and processes, then train people until they own them.

Colleagues describe me as approachable, reliable, and good at making complicated things understandable. Driven people tend to thrive on my teams, and I work to support every style of teammate.

I studied psychology and music at The College of Wooster and earned a Nonprofit Resource Development Certificate from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Outside of work, I like to flex creative muscles, sing, or cross country ski all winter long.