Amplifying voices and accelerating non-traditional pathways to success through program design, mentorship, and cross-sector leadership.
Some of the most impactful work I've done didn't happen in a boardroom or on a campaign trail. It happened in community centers, mentorship sessions, and program design meetings where the goal was simple but profound: help people who've been systematically excluded find pathways to leadership and economic mobility.
This work sits at the intersection of policy, education, workforce development, and community organizing—disciplines that too often operate in silos. My role has been to bridge those gaps, amplify marginalized voices, and build programs that create real, tangible pathways forward.
New Leaders Council (NLC) is a national organization training progressive leaders across sectors. I joined as a fellow in 2021, drawn to its commitment to diverse leadership and cross-sector collaboration. Within four years, I progressed from participant to curriculum director to co-director—a journey that reflects both the organization's investment in alumni and my deep commitment to its mission.
I redesigned the fellowship curriculum to better serve diverse cohorts spanning tech entrepreneurs, educators, government officials, nonprofit leaders, and medical professionals. The challenge was creating experiences that honored different sectors while finding common ground in leadership principles.
Key innovations included integrating systems thinking frameworks, creating peer learning pods that mixed sectors intentionally, and developing facilitation guides that encouraged vulnerable, authentic leadership development rather than performative networking.
In my co-director role, I focus on strategic vision, community building, and ensuring our programs remain accessible to those who need them most. This means scholarships, sliding-scale fees, and partnerships with organizations serving historically marginalized communities.
In 2023, I founded Forward Fast, a workforce development program addressing a critical gap: people with potential but lacking traditional four-year degrees face systematic barriers to high-paying careers. The tech industry's obsession with credentials often overlooks talent, particularly among communities of color and those without access to traditional higher education.
The program's premise was simple: Alternative credentials like Google Career Certificates can open doors—if paired with mentorship, systems navigation support, and a community that believes in you.
Over six months, 15 participants in San Jose received:
I ran this program on under $3,000. This required extreme resourcefulness: partnering with local libraries and community centers for free space, recruiting volunteer mentors from my professional network, leveraging Google's free certificate platform, and creating open-source curriculum materials that participants could share with others.
Tight budgets breed innovation. The constraints forced me to focus on what actually matters: relationships, quality mentorship, and practical skill-building rather than expensive programs with high overhead.
I operate from a fundamental belief that everyone can demonstrate leadership skills. My role isn't to tell people what to do—it's to discover their superpowers through curious, genuine engagement. This approach transformed how I developed curriculum and supported fellows.
I became skilled at navigating complex systems—from policy to education to workforce development. In Forward Fast, I taught participants not just what opportunities exist, but how to advocate for themselves within systems that often feel impenetrable.
Running a 6-month program for 15 people on under $3K in San Jose required creative problem-solving. I leveraged free resources like Google Career Certificates, partnered with local organizations for space, and created volunteer mentor networks. Tight budgets breed innovation.
NLC's strength is its diversity—government officials learning alongside educators, medical professionals collaborating with tech entrepreneurs. As curriculum director and co-director, I designed experiences that honored different sectors while finding common ground in leadership principles.
"What makes Sarah exceptional is her ability to see leadership potential in everyone. She doesn't just mentor—she uncovers superpowers people didn't know they had."
— NLC Fellow, 2023 Cohort
The most powerful leaders I've worked with weren't polished executives with Ivy League degrees. They were community organizers, educators working multiple jobs, immigrants navigating new systems, and people who'd overcome systemic barriers that would have stopped others. Leadership development must honor these diverse paths.
Alternative credentials work—but only if we pair them with advocacy and systems navigation. Giving someone a Google certificate doesn't matter if they don't know how to position themselves in interviews, navigate ATS systems, or advocate for salary equity. The program is the support structure, not just the credential.
Bringing together tech entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders doesn't automatically create collaboration. It requires facilitation that acknowledges power dynamics, creates space for vulnerable sharing, and builds trust through shared experiences. Good curriculum design can bridge sectors that typically don't talk to each other.
The through-line in all this work: Equity isn't just about access—it's about changing the systems that create barriers in the first place. That's the work that matters most.