As President of Weber Shandwick’s 110-person Minneapolis office, Sara is responsible for the management of one of Weber Shandwick's largest North America offices and for several of the agency's largest accounts in the areas of corporate counsel and positioning, marketing communications, crisis communications, consumer brand management, media relations and health care.
Sara’s account work has included campaigns for such clients as Northwest Airlines, CIGNA, CIBA Vision, Novartis, Medtronic, The Coca-Cola Company, Boston Scientific, The Minnesota Department of Health and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. She supervised the media relation's team for the grand opening of Mall of America including all logistics and planning for the more than 300 journalists who participated in the opening. She supervised the global launch of two major products for CIBA Vision, a Novartis Company, for both the medical community and consumer launches. Under Sara's leadership, the Minneapolis office of Weber Shandwick has received significant industry recognition via more than a dozen best-in-class national awards, including the PR Week Innovation of the Year award.
Sara is one of the founders of Mona Meyer McGrath & Gavin, a Twin Cities public relations firm, which became part of Weber Shandwick in 1988.
Sara spent three years of her career with the Twin Cities office of the international public relations firm Hill and Knowlton, where she was vice president. She has also held public relations positions with Doremus & Company.
Sara is a trustee of Minnesota Public Radio where she chairs the Governance Committee. She is on the board of directors of Minnesota Life. She is a member of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Brand Enterprise Advisory Board. Sara has previously served on a variety of community boards, including The College of St. Catherine, The Minnesota Private College Council and the Minnesota Women's Economic Roundtable.
In 1995, the publication known today as the Minnesota Business Journal named Sara one of Minnesota's "40 Under 40," an award given to outstanding young business people under the age of 40. The same publication recognized Sara as one of Minnesota's “25 Most Innovative Women” in 2001.
A native of Minnesota, Sara is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul with a B.A. in history and political science. She has completed graduate courses in the University of Minnesota M.B.A. program. She has lectured on a variety of public relations topics.