Sarah holds a PhD in Geography from UCLA, and has taught at UCLA and California State University, San Marcos. Her academic work and interests have primarily been in political ecology, which is a field that studies sociopolitical and environmental issues, the ways in which they are interconnected, and how power relations have a bearing on both.

After several years of lecturing, Sarah joined Global Healing as a program manager in 2015. She was drawn to Global Healing’s mission of improving health care internationally through partnership with local organizations in assessing clinical training needs and working collaboratively to devise solutions suited to local contexts. Sarah was especially interested in Global Healing’s rejection of the “white savior” model that characterizes some nonprofits, particularly in the global health and development fields.

Sarah became Executive VP of programs in 2020, and then Chief Executive Officer in 2022. She now proudly serves on Global Healing’s board and lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband and 5-year-old daughter.