Sarah Gentry provides leadership and strategic direction as Director of IVLP Collaborative Services (CS) at Meridian's Center for Global Leadership. Sarah works with the U.S. Department of State to design and implement professional education and leadership programs and resources. CS’s portfolio of programs supports 250 global leaders creating change in their communities through the IVLP Impact Awards, the administration of nearly 100 IVLP professional exchange programs annually, and oversite of workshops and resources to prepare and support nearly 5,000 IVLP participants annually.

Previously, Gentry designed and implemented educational exchange projects on various themes, including cybersecurity, foreign policy, combatting human trafficking, countering terrorism, and economic prosperity. In 2019, she launched and led the Central Eastern Europe Journalist Fellowship Program to strengthen local and regional journalism and combat disinformation. From 2015-2019, she built and managed the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative’s Entrepreneurship Institute, which advanced the capacity and networks of 1,500 entrepreneurs across the hemisphere in coordination with The White House, multiple DOS bureaus, over 30 Embassies, and dozens of project partners.

Before joining Meridian, Sarah administered projects and led strategies for educational programs with the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of State, and private sector clients in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. From 2012 to 2015, she administered a professional development program with emerging leaders from Pakistan and programs to promote higher education reform through curriculum development and technology advancement in Iraq and Kurdistan. At Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, she supported educational programs in Latin America focused on international relations, conflict resolution, human rights, and democratic governance. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, she focused on women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, community banks, and early-childhood education in collaboration with community leaders and women's groups. Sarah has a Master of Arts in Education Leadership and Policy from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, minor in Classical Studies, from the College of Charleston.