Sarah Scanlon is a governmental policy professional and strategic planning consultant with 18 years of experience in federal, state, and local governments, coalition building, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications. She has extensive experience developing policy, conducting project management, working with key stakeholders to advance legislation and policy priorities, and managing operations.

As part of the Concepts Team, Sarah currently engages in state outreach for the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) Initiative with the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). Thanks to her years working in both federal and state government and advocacy, Sarah has an extensive professional network, which enables her to reach key stakeholders in diverse organizations to advance ODEP’s policy development and dissemination of disability employment policy for use by states.

For the U.S. Department of  Agriculture (USDA), Sarah cultivated the agency’s relationship with governors, mayors, state legislators, county executives as the director of external and intergovernmental affairs and senior labor advisor to the secretary of agriculture. As the USDA lead for the implementation of the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Presidential executive order, she worked side by side with senior White House staff and federal agencies. She also managed relationships with members of Congress and represented the agency at formal federal, state, and local events, educating stakeholders and elected officials on policy.

Prior to her tenure at USDA, Sarah served four years as the deputy political director of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. There, she managed the political action fund and worked with candidates to gain support for the union’s policies. In addition to developing the union’s strategic political plans, she implemented education and mobilization programs.