Sara Sadat

Sara Sadat is a senior strategy and transformation leader with extensive experience advancing regional growth, community development, and cross-sector collaboration across higher education, healthcare, financial services, and nonprofit organizations. She serves as Director of PMO & Community Engagement at SNtial Technologies, where she leads enterprise program management, digital transformation initiatives, and the maturation of governance and delivery frameworks for mission-driven institutions.

Sara has directed major portfolio and organizational initiatives at Northwestern University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Discover Financial Services, Delta Dental, and YMCA of the USA. Her work strengthens operational structures, enhances institutional readiness, and supports long-term strategic planning. These capabilities closely align with economic development priorities and community vitality.

She is deeply engaged across Chicago’s technology, civic, philanthropic, and higher education ecosystems, partnering with organizations to expand workforce pipelines, support small business capacity, and broaden access to economic opportunity. She also champions economic vitality through the arts, collaborating with cultural and community groups to elevate creativity, placemaking, public trust, and civic participation as drivers of local and regional growth.

In public service, Sara was elected in 2018 to a four-year term to serve the Village of Lisle, contributing to community resilience and municipal initiatives. She continues this commitment today through service on local boards and Illinois-wide advisory groups focused on regional collaboration, workforce development, community engagement, and economic development.

Sara holds an MBA with a concentration in Cybersecurity from the University of Illinois Springfield and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago.