Sarah

About Sarah

I lead housing and community development initiatives in complex municipal environments where federal compliance, land use, and funding strategy intersect.My work centers on stabilizing and strengthening federally funded programs—aligning HUD requirements, financial controls, and development execution to ensure accountability, performance, and long-term impact.Over the course of my career, I’ve overseen $30M+ in federal, state, and local funding, while working across planning, finance, legal, and code enforcement to deliver housing outcomes in diverse communities. More recently, my focus has expanded to identifying and resolving systemic risks within HUD and Treasury-funded programs, including documentation gaps, environmental review issues, and funding eligibility challenges.I approach leadership with a focus on clarity, execution, and accountability. That means surfacing risks early, building structure where it’s needed, and ensuring that programs are not only effective—but defensible and sustainable.My goal is to continue advancing into executive leadership roles where I can bring this combination of compliance expertise, operational strategy, and systems-level thinking to organizations navigating complexity and growth.

Experience

1. Housing & Community Development Manager

   City of Aurora

   Nov 2024 — Present · US

   Lead a $30M+ federally funded housing portfolio, overseeing development, compliance, and program delivery across CDBG, HOME, ESG, and ARPA funding streams* Direct cross-functional coordination between Planning, Finance, Legal, and Code Enforcement to align land use, regulatory compliance, and funding execution* Identified and initiated resolution of $900K+ in federal compliance exposure, strengthening internal controls and reducing long-term audit and repayment risk* Implement structured monitoring, documentation protocols, and system improvements to stabilize program performance and ensure regulatory alignment* Provide executive-level guidance on risk, compliance, and program performance, including surfacing and addressing legacy issues requiring corrective action

Education

• Southern Arkansas University

  Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Organizational Management

  2004 — 2006

• Southern Arkansas University

  Master of Public Administration (MPA), Public Administration

  2011 — 2012

• University of Texas at Arlington College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs

  Ph.D., Urban Planning & Public Policy

  2017 — 2021

Skills

• Project Management
• Event Management
• Data Analysis
• Powerpoint
• Microsoft Office
• Sales
• Organizational Leadership
• Research
• Marketing
• Policy
• Sales Operations
• Customer Service
• Leadership
• Grant Writing
• Team Leadership
• Strategic Planning
• Technical Writing
• Time Management
• Organizational Development
• Training
• New Business Development
• Program Management
• Process Improvement
• Public Policy
• Retail
• Relationship Management
• Software Documentation
• Public Speaking
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Forecasting
• Cold Calling
• Account Management
• Sales Management
• Nonprofits
• Team Management
• Budgets
• Operations Management
• Community Outreach
• Team Building
• Management