Since 2008, Sarah Steven has held a variety of marketing, communications, and program management roles across the organizations and initiatives of The Omidyar Group (TOG).
Sarah works closely with Pierre and Pam, their advisors, and leadership teams, to imagine, incubate, and develop new areas of interest, facilitate cross-TOG collaborations, and lead special projects for the family. A highlight of this work was the leadership role that Sarah played when the Omidyars hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Hawaii for an historic three-day visit in 2012, filled with twelve life-changing events. More recently, Sarah was appointed to Democracy Fund’s board of directors in 2016.
Sarah also leads a team of marketing and communications experts who provide a wide range of services to TOG executives, entities, and partners. One of the most rewarding aspects of this work is the convening role Sarah plays in bringing together marketing and communications professionals across TOG to build community, leverage smart ideas, and challenge each other to think differently.
With a career spanning more than two decades, Sarah draws from a diverse set of professional experiences beginning in Washington, D.C., where she managed public affairs efforts and developed influence campaigns for clients including Home Box Office, Microsoft, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Silicon Valley, she worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Hewlett-Packard as well as technology startups where she provided counsel on a range of areas from senior executive communications support; litigation and crisis response; mergers and acquisitions; corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability; to, consumer and enterprise products, technologies and services.
Throughout her career, Sarah has been recognized for her expertise and aptitude for managing crisis situations and developing large-scale programs that are global in reach and impact. She believes that the unique and exciting challenges inherent in each of these areas bring greater energy and creativity to her work.
Sarah holds a B.A. in communications from George Mason University. She loves her Southern Virginia roots, but is equally grateful for her home in Honolulu where she and her husband can be found trying to teach their toddler son how to shaka.