Sarah Alvarez currently serves as Sr. Program Associate for the Business Ownership Initiative—an initiative of the Economic Opportunities Program—which advances business ownership as an economic opportunity strategy. In this capacity, Sarah oversees microtracker.org and supports a number of EOP’s research, evaluation, and learning efforts. Prior to joining BOI, Sarah was Sr. Program Associate with the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program. In that role Sarah managed complex, multi-stakeholder projects and developed project content with emphasis on public policy, strategic planning, and evaluation; as well as operational support including grant writing and donor stewardship. She compiled and edited the Aspen Institute’s report Unleashing Latino-owned Business Potential and has published a number of blogs pertaining to issues of Latino economic advancement. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, Sarah was a program assistant for two years coordinating logistics and mobilizing evaluation teams in the Eastern Caribbean, West Africa, and Cambodia. In this role, she contributed to performance management plans, evaluation reports and technical proposals for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State, and designed and managed training courses for more than 100 State Department employees. Sarah serves on the advisory board for La Ceiba Microfinance Institution, a program of the University of Mary Washington in Virginia and in Honduras. She has a B.A in international affairs (magna cum laude) and a certificate in Middle Eastern Studies from University of Mary Washington. Sarah has volunteered as a mentor for the Emerging Leaders Program in Arlington and supported the Northern Virginia Community Foundation working group on community wealth building. Raised in Virginia, with Puerto Rican roots, Sarah brings experience and passion for serving the Latino Community, along with an interest in inclusive economic development and civic participation especially as they relate to policy and program effectiveness.