Sara recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she led a ~600 person organization responsible for the U.S. government’s national security technology policy vis a vis foreign adversaries. At BIS, she managed all regulatory and policy priorities from inception to rollout and led on policy matters related to information and communications technology and services (ICTS) and AI.

Sara previously served as Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. At DHS, Sara played a central role in the Department’s efforts to support the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and prepare the nation’s cyber defenses in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her portfolio included national security, cybersecurity, foreign policy, privacy, civil rights and civil liberties, influence operations, child sexual exploitation and abuse online, and international migration.

She has also researched global tech policy and trust & safety issues at Stanford University and worked for several years at the Council on Foreign Relations and Albright Stonebridge Group.

Sara holds a Master’s in International Policy from Stanford University and a B.A. in International Studies from the Johns Hopkins University. Her master’s capstone investigated China’s use of private firms in covert influence operations, and her undergraduate thesis chronicled schisms within ISIS’ global female recruitment strategies on social media.