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SELECTED PROJECTS & CONTRIBUTIONS
SELECTED PROJECTS & CONTRIBUTIONS
Sarah’s consulting work includes strategic planning, organizational assessment, facilitation, community engagement, capacity building, public policy, project leadership and support for cross-sector initiatives. The examples below reflect the range of organizations, issues and settings in which she has worked.
Strategic Planning & Organizational Development
Strategic Planning & Organizational Development
County of Santa Cruz — 2026–2032 Strategic Plan
United Way Fresno & Madera Counties — Strategic Planning
Sonoma County Progressive Tribal Alliance — Strategic Planning Retreat Facilitation
Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County — Organizational Capacity Building
Facilitation, Leadership & Collaboration
Facilitation, Leadership & Collaboration
Results Count 101 Workshop — Santa Cruz County
Temple Beth El — DEI Session Facilitation
Multidisciplinary collaborative initiatives
Youth-adult partnerships and leadership initiatives
Community Engagement & Youth Voice
Community Engagement & Youth Voice
County of Santa Cruz strategic planning engagement
Youth participatory action research
Youth advisory councils
Community listening sessions and focus groups
Youth-led mental health initiatives
Justice, Prevention & Community Safety
Justice, Prevention & Community Safety
Santa Cruz County juvenile justice initiatives
Transformations in Juvenile Justice: Reflecting on the Past & Shaping the Future
Violence prevention initiatives
Survivor support
Diversion and restorative justice work
CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION & FACILITATION
CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION & FACILITATION
Sarah has extensive experience bringing together people and organizations across sectors, disciplines and systems to address complex community challenges. Her collaborative work has included public agencies, nonprofits, philanthropy, schools, community members, youth and other partners with different perspectives, roles and responsibilities.
Example of Initiatives Sarah has coordinated:
Santa Cruz County Youth Violence Prevention Task Force: development and implementation of the County's Youth Violence Prevention Strategic Plan
Community Prevention Partners: youth drug and alcohol prevention through public policy and environmental design
100 Day Dash: collaborative effort to house the most vulnerable in 100 days
Community Corrections Partnership Community Education and Engagement Workgroup: worked to engage the community on criminal justice reform
Community Corrections Partnership Shared Safety Workgroup: development and implementation of the County's Survivors at the Center report
Project Thrive: 5-year Dept of Justice grant to create equitable culturally responsive trauma-informed systems
EQUITY & RACIAL JUSTICE WORK
EQUITY & RACIAL JUSTICE WORK
Equity and racial justice have been longstanding dimensions of Sarah’s work. Her experience includes supporting organizations and communities to examine inequities, strengthen inclusive practices, engage people most affected by inequitable systems, and develop strategies that address disparities in outcomes and opportunity.
Played a key role in efforts on race & policing, and led community engagement initiatives that informed the Watsonville’s Ad Hoc Committee on Policing and Social Equity Final Report (2021) community engagement (page 47-62)
Coordinated a community forum on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Education & Juvenile Justice System (2015), fostering dialogue on equity in local institutions
Organized trainings on Implicit Bias (2018) & Culturally Responsive Organizations (2018), building the capacity of local leaders & organizations to address systemic inequities
Served on the committee that developed Santa Cruz County’s Equity Statement (2023), contributing to a comprehensive equity framework for the County
EVENTS, CONVENINGS, & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
EVENTS, CONVENINGS, & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Sarah has designed, facilitated and coordinated a range of events, convenings and community engagement processes, from public forums and learning sessions to strategic retreats and countywide initiatives.
Event Planning, Design & Coordination
Event Planning, Design & Coordination
Forum on Criminal Justice Reform & our Community (2017)
Community Forum on Restorative Justice (2018)
Implicit Bias Training (2018)
Culturally Responsive Organizations Workshop (2018)
Trauma Informed Systems Conference (2018)
Shared Safety Community Forum (2020)
Shared Safety Community Dialogues (2021)
Community Forum on Restorative Practices (2024)
Youth Adult Partnerships Summit (2024)
Transformations in Juvenile Justice: Reflecting on the Past & Shaping the Future (2024)
Results Count 101 (2025)
PUBLICATIONS & REPORTS
PUBLICATIONS & REPORTS
Langhout, R., Kohfeldt, D., Chamberlain, A., Cruz, I., Rock, T., & Emmert, S. (2013). The praxis assignment: Experiential learning in a large social-community psychology class. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community 41(2), (61-67).
Santa Cruz County Youth Violence Prevention Strategic Plan (2015)
Santa Cruz County Blueprint for Shared Safety: Survivors at the Center (2020)
Santa Cruz County Youth Violence Prevention Network’s Dialogues for Change (2020)
Santa Cruz County Strategic Plan 2018-2024 Foundational Review (2025)
Santa Cruz County Strategic Plan 2026-2032 (2026)
Santa Cruz County Strategic Plan 2026-2032: Community & Stakeholder Engagement Summary (2026)
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