Caaaats FTW!

Sarah Angel is a seasoned strategist with a deep background in advocacy, government, law, and policy, dedicated to guiding nonprofits and educational institutions through a diverse array of challenges and opportunities. With a commitment to integrity, courage, and empathy, Sarah collaborates with clients to achieve a shared clarity of their goals and marshals big picture insights and detailed execution to ensure objectives are achieved. Sarah is the founder and CEO of JOAN Collaborative and has been an advocate and advisor in various roles for over 25 years. Sarah launched her career as a staff consultant for the California State Assembly Budget Committee in Sacramento. After seeing limited roles for women in senior leadership in the State Capitol at the time, Sarah headed off to UC Berkeley School of Law. She practiced law at O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles before becoming a prosecutor. Sarah saw firsthand how the criminal justice system was broken and decided to transition into public education advocacy. In her role as managing director in Los Angeles for the California Charter Schools Association, Sarah spearheaded initiatives promoting equity in underserved communities through collective advocacy, grassroots organizing, political campaigns, and strategic communications efforts with educators, families, and nonprofit leaders. In hopes of supporting a broader swath of public school students, families, and educators, Sarah took on the role of chief of staff to Board Member Nick Melvoin of the Los Angeles Unified School District, managing a dedicated team delivering innovative policy, community support, and consistent communications to L.A.'s public school stakeholders. Most recently, Sarah was a partner and chief operating officer of an intentionally diverse strategic communications firm, where she worked with foundations and nonprofits on strategy, communications, and advocacy campaigns. Beyond her professional endeavors, Sarah loves family outings to Southern California beaches with her husband Dan and their three public school kids. They’ve all been enthralled with Taylor Swift for years, so she spends a lot of time listening to the latest album and gossip, while tending to her extensive collection of indoor and outdoor plants.