Sara Farley Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

Sara leads the global portfolio and spearheads integrated operations for The Rockefeller Foundation’s food team, leading such signature initiatives as the Food Systems Vision Prize. In this capacity she is driving the Foundation’s inaugural regenerative/agroecological food systems strategy, leading the diet quality portfolio, and expanding the good food purchasing work and true cost accounting efforts globally with the aim of shifting the diet quality of 500 million underserved people by 2030. With an emphasis on integrating the multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder network-of-networks operating model that animates the food team’s $105 million 3-year Good Food Strategy, Sara's role balances grantmaking with operational management. She drives portfolio creation, partnership formation (both externally and internally), and embeds innovative systems monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) methods into the work and the culture of the team. Assuring that insights gleaned in one geography support interventions in another motivates Sara's work. She is responsible for increasing the foundation's performance in innovation, MERL, facilitation, knowledge management, co-creation, and collaboration, all in service of nourishing, regenerative and equitable food systems.

Washington D.C., Dc, Us

Selected by the US Secretary of State’s Science and Technology Advisor and the Chairman of India’s Knowledge Commission to lead the start-up of this not-for-profit organization concerned with fostering science, technology, and innovation-based collaboration and global knowledge partnerships. Leadership achievements include: Formulated the organizational concept and mission, programmatic development, fundraising strategy and implementation plan to ensure growth, scale, and mission achievement; Cultivated more than 1000 strategic partners across Africa, the US, Asia, and elsewhere, hailing from universities, research institutions, private sector, government, civil society and the donor community; Designed and manage operational programs including Collaborative Innovation Trainings (leaders from 67 countries trained to date), Network Optimization Programs (e.g., formulating/sustaining problem-solving networks that engage more than 300 institutions globally), and Collaborative Innovation Strategy Setting (partners include the World Bank, USAID, African Development Bank, Penn State University, and more). Additional areas of emphasis include building GKI's Systems Research and Evaluation program and eliciting partners. Achievements to date include (1) earning the designation of "Top 100 Social Innovations for the next century" by the Rockefeller Foundation (2013), (2) receiving Carnegie Corporation support to scale our flagship "LINK Africa" program across the continent, (3) being selected by the Rockefeller Foundation to serve as an Innovation Lab to define and manage innovation investment, (4) drafting national science, technology, and innovation policies & evaluations in Rwanda and South Africa, and (5) spawning the creation of Tanzanian and Malaysian training institutes modeled on GKI's unique approach to cultivating "Collaborative Innovation" and "Systems Change" mastery in researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, etc.

Washington, Dc, Us

Spearheaded the articulation, advocacy, and implementation of the first World Bank strategy on science and technology for development with Chief Scientist, Dr. Robert Watson. Authored extensive research and provided strategic and operational direction and policy advice across several science, technology, and innovation-related sectors (e.g., education, health, ICT, environment, agriculture, etc.) to guide national poverty reduction and growth programs. Devised the structure, implementation frameworks, and monitoring methodologies for more than $520 million in grants and loans in science, technology, and innovation (Uganda, Nigeria, Mexico), resulting in increased opportunities for science education, training, research, and technology development in health, agriculture, environment, and other key sectors.

Vienna, Vienna, At

Designed and executed a process to craft UNIDO’s first-ever Innovation Policy Position.

Abidjan, Ci

Led the development of a multi-disciplinary Strategy and Action Plan to guide the operations, policy, planning, and budgeting of the new Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Technical and Vocational Education Department; Conducted an extensive science and technology needs assessment in Benin, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Tunisia. Spearheaded the design and validation of the Bank's vision on innovation, science and technology as they connect to higher education, training, and human resource transformation across the continent.

Ma, International Policy Studies; Focus On Economic Development

Ba, Science, Technology And Society; Minor Economics

Post-Graduate Fellowship, Technology Policy And Management