Sara Sarnoski leads strategy, planning, and business operations for the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene team, working to ensure access to safe, inclusive sanitation for all.
Sara brings over 15 years of experience working to reduce inequities in health and opportunity as a scientist, leader, and strategic advisor. In a prior role at the Gates Foundation, she led efforts to shape the 2023 – 2028 Global Fund strategy, guiding US$4 billion per year in aid for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria to 100+ countries.
Sara was also previously a strategic advisor in McKinsey & Company’s Global Social Sector Practice, where she advised ultra-high-net-worth individuals on the launch of new philanthropic entities; led efforts to shape 10+ public-private-social sector impact partnerships; and developed evidence-based social impact strategies to expand access to health care, promote gender equality, increase economic empowerment, and more. She has a proven track record in mentorship, leadership, and community service, receiving McKinsey & Company’s Inspirational Leadership Award, Yale University and the City of New Haven’s Seton Elm-Ivy Award for exemplary community service, and many other awards.
Sara earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience at Yale, where she also led science programs for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
More about the foundation
Learn about where we work around the globe and the programs we've created to address urgent issues in global health, global development, and education.
Read the latest stories, research, and news from across the foundation and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Optimist.