Sara Merz, MBA, has founded, co-founded and led numerous community initiatives in multiple issue areas and is driven by a passion to improve people’s lives.
She works to bring national best practices and emerging innovations to local communities, and lead community processes to customize what fits for a community. Outcomes have included improving health and quality of life, increasing opportunities for children and their families, and improving the safety and economic success of our communities.
Sara did a wonderful job in taking a concept through to fruition while organizing a multifaceted team to take ACEs into our community. She knew what to do and how to do it.
— Jim Hartmann, former Wake County Manager, North Carolina
Sara has worked for more than 20 years in leadership roles in nonprofit and state and local government, working closely with corporate and healthcare leaders. She served as executive director of a countywide health collaborative for 5 years, and worked for local and state elected officials for 15 years where she advanced policy and systems change in a variety of areas. She has been active in chambers of commerce, served on varied task forces and advisory committees, and on multiple nonprofit boards focused on children’s environmental education and diversity, multi-modal transportation, local food, and civic improvement.
Select Honors and Awards
- North Carolina Local Public Health Directors’ Partners Award
- WakeUP Wake County Community Engagement Award
- City of Raleigh Environmental Awards (three years)
- North Carolina PTA Children’s Health Award
- Active Living Champion Award
- Minnesota Parks and Recreation Association Award
- National Twitter Town Hall Forums, “community expert” highlighted along with Prevent Child Abuse America, the California Endowment and others.
- ACEs Connection, profiled as an expert
- News and Observer and other press
- ABC11 and other TV coverage – numerous
- Presenter at statewide conferences