change agent

A passionate public service veteran known for collaboration, inspiration, cultivation, and engagement.

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Sarah O'Brien is a keen reader of people, places, and the culture of organizations. She thrives in dynamic and challenging environments and can take the "dys" out of dysfunction. A pragmatist who can do imaginary back-bends between the tactical and strategic, Sarah is always ON and always ALL IN.

She takes ownership, delivers results, and looks for innovative strategies that align with whatever mission she is on or goal she has set for herself. She believes in the critical importance of empowerment and inspiration at all levels and conditions.  Adverse to claiming most visionary tendencies because Sarah can empower those around her to pick up their own paintbrushes and join in on painting the collective vision. A community, downtown, destination and storytelling champion and expert.  She can wrangle and harness the creativity and lead them to victory.

Click here for a current copy of Sarah's professional profile. 

A lover of authenticity, experiences, and placemaking, she is also a catalyst for change. She knows  when to retreat from battle and when to lead a revolution. Sarah firmly believes that local government must focus on being inclusive, transparent, diverse, and fiscally sustainability,. And that public sector data and technology have caused the greatest need for government reform. In order to not only stay relevant and viable we have to admit, understanding, and commit to drastically changing the way we operate in order to move past the peril we are facing at all levels.

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Most recently Sarah served the City of Bastrop as their Hospitality & Downtown Director and Public Information Officer overseeing a 3.5-million-dollar budget and team of 11. Her team was comprised of amazingly unique and diverse individuals who collectively worked seamlessly to provide the "kitchen sinks" list of services to our customers. She was charged with cultivating strategic community partnerships, enhancing media and intergovernmental relationships, enhancing the return on the tax payer’s investment, forming coalitions and creating capacity, crisis communications, unifying and spotlighting diverse and authentic cultural resources, promoting sustainable and fiscally responsible development, and spearheading countless memorable moments. She has also served the Texas communities of Nacogdoches, Cleburne, and Marshall in various tourism, chamber, main street, development and communication roles. She has created lifelong friendships from countless relationships with colleagues. She is blessed beyond measure with a cast full of characters she's collected from the public service sector.

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A two-time past president of the Texas Downtown Association, Sarah regularly gives back to her field. She enjoys serving on downtown assessment and Main Street resource teams as well as offering advice or a helping hand to communities that ask. The Edna Tea Garden Award for outstanding leadership in Hospitality Administration was given to her by her Alma mater, Stephen F. Austin State University for showing a commitment to her profession and nurturing the next generation of leaders. She has proudly watched tables turn as several of her interns have developed into professional industry veterans that she calls on regularly.  She loves public speaking and regularly presents at the state and national level on a multitude of topics without reading from a single powerpoint slide.  A firm belief that spiders are far more frightening than public speaking she prides herself on sharing stories and ideas that can help others.

Her proudest professional recognition to date is the sandwich named in her honor at Dolli's Diner on the square in downtown Nacogdoches, the Nutty O'Brien. Dolli's Diner is located in the Hoya Building. The street adjacent to the property was once recommended to be closed due to its structural integrity. After grants, policy implementation, engineering, preservation accommodations, and targeted development recruitment efforts, Dolli was able to open her second location in the transformed building. Sarah is bursting with pride now that the small business owner recently opened a third restaurant, Cowboy Jack's Saloon in downtown Nacogdoches.

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She has been called courageous and inspirational. Until recently she didn't understand her impact and influence on those around her and now that she does she is ready to help you and your organization understand theirs.