After spending the summer whitewater rafting, Sarah Stewart has joined the Coalition’s team as Development Director.
Sarah is no stranger to conservation. As a child growing up in Port Townsend, she watched her parents work with the Jefferson Land Trust to secure conservation easements for a scenic greenbelt that served as recreation space and a wildlife corridor.
Her childhood experience combined with her summers spent almost entirely outside as a rafting guide left Sarah with a lasting passion for outdoor recreation and the public lands that make those activities possible.
“Access to the outdoors is such a gift,” she said. “To be able to go out and experience our Wild and Scenic Rivers on a raft or backpack on our mountain trails is just incredible. Even in my daily life, I’m a heavy user of our parks and public spaces.”
Sarah and her husband belong to a neighborhood P-Patch where they grow lettuce, kale, beets, fennel and many other vegetables.
When they’re not gardening or in the office, she said they are almost always in one of the many parks that surround them, whether it’s enjoying the view of the Puget Sound in Discovery Park or taking their dog to one of Seattle’s off leash areas.
“We’re heavy users of parks and public spaces,” she said. “I’m really excited to work on behalf of all of that.”
Before joining the Coalition, Sarah worked at National Geographic and the Pacific Science Center where she managed corporate donations. She learned that donor cultivation is not just about money, it is about building a relationship and facilitating a connection between people and an issue they care about.
“Being a donor is a really wonderful way to be engaged with an organization,” Sarah said. “I view it as a privilege when I can give to an organization I care about to help that organization reach their mission.”