Sarah Barton holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Studies from West Virginia University. She is married and is mother to three children. She is passionate about decreasing barriers and improving access to the resources needed for individual and community wellness. 

Throughout her 25-year career, Sarah has worked in education, rural healthcare, nonprofit administration, the recovery ecosystem, and fundraising.  She has served on teams, boards, and administrations that were dedicated to developing and implementing programming to enhance and strengthen our communities.  This diverse experience has provided her with a comprehensive understanding of how organizations can leverage local, state, and national resources to achieve their full potential and create thriving, vibrant communities. 

Sarah has extensive experience in developing, writing, and managing grant projects. She has written, received, and managed federal, state, and local grants throughout her career. Her distinctive skill in grant writing is developing collaborative projects that will continue to benefit the community after grant funds are spent. 

As an experienced executive coach and employee trainer, Sarah has worked with clients from corporate businesses, institutions of higher learning, non-profit organizations, and political campaigns. She leverages her knowledge and experiences to identify and enhance the leadership foundation of her clients and the organizations she serves. Sarah has a rich background in business communication, cultural diversity, data management, data analysis, data-driven decision-making, project evaluation, grant writing, and grant management. 

Through her work, Sarah focuses on collaboration as an essential element of healthcare and believes it is critical for communities to thrive.  She works with regional, state, and national alliances and groups to support organizations working together to achieve optimal sustainable impact.   Through cross-sector networks and collaborations, she has positively impacted community access to healthcare services and resources, addressed transportation barriers in rural communities, and worked with organizations to address workplace wellness. 

Some of her more recent projects include a Health Resources and  Services Administration Rural Opioid Community Response Program (HRSA RCORP) grant that is developing and enhancing prevention, treatment, and recovery services for adolescents (ages 12-26) and their families; leading a multi-sector Healthy Rural Hometown Initiative grant project called FARMACY to promote healthy habits to prevent the incidence of hypertension, stroke, and cancer; and designing a regional healthy movement program called Move More MOV. All of her projects include broad participation of organizations within the community, including local schools, colleges, healthcare centers, nonprofit organizations, regional alliances, and state agencies.