Sarah Wilson serves as Deputy Director of Innovation and Economic Opportunity for the City of Birmingham, leading strategies to drive inclusive economic growth with a focus on workforce development, business expansion, and community revitalization. She was instrumental in launching Embrace Mothers, Alabama’s first guaranteed income pilot, designed to improve economic mobility for single mothers. Sarah oversees the Birmingham Region Health Partnership, an $11 million federally funded initiative that strengthens the healthcare economy by training jobseekers and addressing talent pipeline needs.
Under her leadership, the City secured a $20 million federal grant to launch the Reinvest Birmingham initiative, aimed at catalyzing economic development. The program increases labor force participation, supports Birmingham-based business growth, and removes childcare and transportation barriers to employment.
Sarah began her career with the YMCA, holding leadership roles in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Birmingham. There, she led initiatives bolstering economic resilience by focusing on youth development, social responsibility, and philanthropy.
She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Design & Development from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a bachelor’s from Loras College, where she competed on the women’s basketball team. She is President of Alabama Women Leading Government and serves on the Advocacy Committee of the Women’s Foundation of Alabama.
Sarah lives in Birmingham with her two children, Quinn and Myles.