Sarah Caton Walters

About Sarah Caton Walters

I am a senior communications leader and strategist whose work sits at the intersection of narrative, trust, and public life. I help mission-driven organizations and civic institutions communicate clearly in environments where public confidence and accountability matter.I currently serve as Director of Communications for the Greater Clark Foundation, a place-based philanthropic organization. In this role, I work closely with executive leadership on organizational messaging and public-facing communications, with a focus on stewarding trust and aligning narrative with long-term community investment. Much of my work involves helping leaders navigate moments that require clarity, judgment, and care.Alongside my institutional work, I founded Space, Place & Southern Grace, LLC, a creative practice that has informed my approach to communications leadership for more than a decade. Through this work, I have led content creation and digital storytelling efforts in collaboration with national brands including HBO, NBC Sports, Xbox, Kroger, and Kate Spade. This experience has given me a practical understanding of how messages move through media systems, how audiences interpret them, and where intention and impact can diverge.Across roles, I am often asked to serve as a thought partner to senior leaders as organizations grow, change, or face public scrutiny. I am particularly interested in communications that strengthen relational capacity and support healthier public discourse, especially in places where trust must be built over time.I hold a Master’s degree in Digital Audience Strategy, which grounds my work in audience-centered thinking and platform fluency. I also hold bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Gender and Women’s Studies, which continue to shape how I think about language, culture, and power in public communication.

Experience

1. Director of Communications

   Greater Clark Foundation

   Jan 2024 — Present · Winchester, KY, US

   As Director of Communications, I lead organizational messaging and public-facing communications for a place-based philanthropic foundation working across Clark, Powell, and Estill counties. I partner closely with executive leadership to ensure communications reflect the Foundation’s values, long-term commitments, and role in the civic life of the region.My work focuses on translating complex, values-driven work into clear narrative for multiple audiences, including community partners, nonprofit leaders, media, and the public. I support leadership through moments that require discernment and clarity, helping shape messaging that builds trust over time.I led and executed a comprehensive organizational visual rebrand, aligning identity, design systems, and public presentation with the Foundation’s evolving strategy and values. This work strengthened brand consistency and improved clarity across external and internal communications.I oversee brand stewardship, messaging frameworks, media relations, and strategic communications planning across initiatives, public investments, and organizational transitions. I also contribute to internal communications and learning efforts, helping align staff, trustees, and partners around shared language and understanding.In this role, I am frequently called on as a thought partner to the President & CEO and senior leadership, offering strategic counsel on narrative, public perception, and the relational dimensions of communications in a highly visible, community-centered organization.

Education

• University of Kentucky

  Postbaccalaureate, Higher Education

  2016 — 2016

• Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University

  Master's degree, Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia

• University of Kentucky

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Spanish; Gender and Women Studies

  2012 — 2016

• Universidad Latina de Costa Rica

  Spanish Course Work, Spanish Language and Literature

  2014 — 2014