Sara Mcdowell Email & Phone Number

San Carlos, Ca, Us

San Carlos, California, United States

One of five councilmembers responsible for hiring and advising the City Manager and City Attorney, oversight of $125 million City budget, land-use decisions, litigation decisions, collective bargaining decisions, and participation in various multi-agency boards and commissions. Accomplishments include spearheading a Shop Local campaign to support small businesses during the pandemic, creating and implementing a new childcare impact fee to build out childcare capacity in San Carlos, prioritizing safe routes to school and reducing speeds limits around school zones, building new workforce housing, and passing an East Side Innovation District Vision Plan which lays the groundwork for transformative land use and development decisions for decades to come.Regional Governing Board Membership: Peninsula Congestion Relief Allaince/Commute.org; San Mateo County Housing Endowment and Regional Trust; San Mateo County Libraries; Build Up San Mateo County Advisory Board

San Carlos, California, United States

As Mayor, Sara spearheaded the San Mateo County Mayors Mental Health Initiative, bringing together 16 mayors to address access to mental health services countywide. The Initiative secured $200,000 in funding from the County Board of Supervisors to roll out Mental Health First Aid Trainings and $250,000 from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to support local non-profits offering mental health services. Sara worked closely with City staff to create a Mental Health Community Resource Guide mailed to all residents, found here: www.cityofsancarlos.org/mentalhealthFollowing a tragic domestic violence incident, Sara worked with the non-profit Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA) to roll out an education campaign in San Carlos called Speak Up. Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the San Carlos City Council, CORA’s program educated more than 270 small business participants and community members to recognize the red flags of intimate partner abuse and listen to survivors. The education campaign is currently being replicated in ten cities across San Mateo County.

One of twelve Governing Board members charged with providing policy direction and governance for the Library System, including 13 libraries in 12 cities and the unincorporated areas of the County, serving approximately 283,000 residents. Provide oversight of an $84 million budget, and approve the services and programs of the Library System. San Mateo County Libraries are consistently ranked as one of the best libraries in the nation, offering in-person and digital resources as well as summer programs to address learning loss among youth, free meal services, state-of-the-art makerspaces, a zero-emission Makermobile, after-school programming for youth, and adult literacy and ESL programs. As Chair of the Board, worked with staff to roll out Mental Health First Aid Training, an initiative to make mental health and substance use training available to the public. Over 130 library staff were successfully trained to identify and help individuals in need of mental health assistance, and staff are now offering the training to the general public via the libraries.

Advised the City Council and other City agencies on economic development strategies. As Commission Chair in 2018, launched three business roundtable discussions with leaders from the life science, technology and cannabis industries to understand the growth choices made by private companies located within San Carlos and in neighboring jurisdictions. Also led a series of one-on-one outreach events that brought City staff and Commissioners to local businesses in San Carlos to better understand the business environment and address specific needs.

Advised senior government officials and business representatives on market access and trade compliance issues in Chile. Represented the Department in trade-related consultations with the Chilean government. Took a lead role in an inter-agency team charged with monitoring the successful implementation of the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement. Worked with U.S. exporters to resolve market access and compliance problems in Chile. Partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to lead outreach events across the United States, educating small and mid-sized firms about benefits of the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement. Created a quarterly US-Chile FTA Success Stories publication used by high-ranking Congressional and Executive Government Officials when speaking about the benefits of free trade.Detail Assignments: -U.S. Embassy, Santiago, Chile (September 11 – October 8, 2004); -Office of the United States Trade Representative (January 31-March 18, 2005) Presidential Management Fellow (June 2003-June 2005)

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Analyzed WTO Member positions and proposals on market access for non-agricultural products and assisted in updating papers for bilateral negotiations. Compiled and analyzed non-tariff barriers experienced by the United States and other WTO Members, informing U.S. negotiators of areas of common interest with other countries

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Created a database detailing the Latin American investments and operations of over 100 multinational corporations in 13 industries, enabling the firm to increase its outreach efforts. Researched and wrote background memos regarding political and economic developments in Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and Mexico to be used for effective client advising.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

• Coordinated and participated in consultations on Latin America between State Department officials and officials from the European Union, Japan and Germany. Wrote response cables sent to all embassies in Latin America summarizing significant policy developments discussed • Coordinated inter-agency review of 2004 Mission Program Plans of various embassies in Latin America• Researched and wrote information memos on military expenditures and democratization in Latin America as background for future policy formulation

Washington, Dc

• Wrote briefing memos on foreign affairs and trade legislation, including Trade Promotion Authority, Chapter 11 provisions of NAFTA and U.S. assistance to Vietnam• Drafted numerous constituent letters addressing issues such as U.S. assistance to Colombia, tariffs on foreign steel, and assistance to Afghanistan

San Francisco Bay Area

• Managed all accounts in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama, and opened the company’s first account in Belize• Generated over $1 million in annual sales for the region by effectively coordinating monthly orders with customers, actively collecting payments, and ensuring timely delivery of shipments • Traveled frequently to Central America to improve and update product display at company stores and provide first hand support to ensure strong sales

Roseville, Ca

• Established and maintained an excellent relationship with over 50 product suppliers and numerous freight companies by making accurate and on-time payments averaging $300,000 per day• Coordinated and negotiated letters of credit from customers in Mexico, Central and South America, enabling the company to increase sales by millions of dollars

Master Of Arts (M.A.), International Affairs

Focus on Latin America

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Double Major: American Studies And Spanish

Spanish Literature

One year full-immersion study abroad program taking all college-level courses with Chilean students.