Sarah Goldman is the Executive Director of Leadership Asheville at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where she guides programs that cultivate collaborative leadership and strengthen community across Western North Carolina.
Before joining Leadership Asheville, she served as Director of Community Programs at the North Carolina Outward Bound School and founded Action First Coaching, supporting leaders and teams in growth and transformation.
Earlier in her career, Sarah spent 15 years in public safety first as a Fairfax County (VA) firefighter and later as an Arlington County (VA) police officer which cemented her commitment to serving her community.
Sarah is passionate about strengthening individuals and communities through the voluntary pursuit of hard things. She is currently the Vice President of the Run828 Foundation and spends her free time competing in expedition length adventure races all over the world. You can often find Sarah and her blue heeler Taco, on the trails near her home in Bent Creek.
She holds a B.A. from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Appalachian State University.
“We are all so fortunate to call Pisgah National Forest our backyard. The City of Asheville and our neighboring communities are held so closely by the chestnuts, white pines, endless rhodo, meandering creeks and towering rock faces. Nothing ties us more together than connection to place, and I feel that the most deeply when sharing adventures in the forest. It is such an honor to be a part of stewarding these lands for our neighbors today and the future generations of tomorrow.”
