Sarah Bolton
Principal
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Sarah Bolton, a principal in The Raben Group’s Government Affairs practice area, brings more than a decade of federal- and state-level domestic and international policy experience, focusing on racial and socioeconomic equity and policies that improve the well-being of children and families.
Sarah helps clients create advocacy agendas that drive progress for historically marginalized populations, and she thrives when digging into the details of complex policy. She quickly rolls up her sleeves to understand the nuances of her client’s culture and challenges. Her deep knowledge of federal and state policymaking ensures her clients are using their resources in ways most likely to lead to success.
Before joining Raben, Sarah served as the policy director for North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, where she advised the governor on the full range of domestic public policy issues, including criminal justice reform, climate change, education, and public health and pandemic response.
Sarah also spent a decade on Capitol Hill, where she served as the education policy director for the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, with a focus on elementary, secondary, and higher education issues. During this time, she led the bipartisan development and passage of the landmark Every Student Succeeds Act. Sarah was also a senior budget and policy advisor for the Senate Budget Committee, guiding the committee’s work on issues related to education, anti-poverty programs, and child nutrition. She also worked in the personal office of Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
In 2017, Sarah was selected to be a Fulbright New Zealand Ian Axford Fellow in Public Policy, where she developed and published a policy report to strengthen educational equity for New Zealand’s indigenous and immigrant students. A number of her recommendations have since been enacted by the New Zealand government.
Sarah now lives in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, and is a proud public school graduate with degrees from Appalachian State University and the University of South Carolina. She’s an avid reader and international traveler (50 countries and counting).