Sara Mead

Sara Mead

Board Member

Managing Director, Afton Partners

As a partner with Bellwether Education Partners, Sara leads Bellwether’s early childhood work across both our policy and strategic advising teams. Since joining Bellwether in 2010, she has written and conducted policy analysis on early childhood education, charter schools, teacher quality, and state and federal education policy issues and has provided strategic advising support to foundations, advocacy organizations, and early childhood operators. Her work has been featured in media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Slate, and USA Today, and she is a regular contributor to U.S. News & World Report’s Knowledge Bank vertical. Before joining Bellwether, Sara directed the New America Foundation’s Early Education Initiative. She has also worked for Education Sector, the Progressive Policy Institute, and the U.S. Department of Education. From September 2009-July 2017 she served on the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board, which authorizes charter schools in Washington, D.C. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Vanderbilt University.


Most Recent Posts
NACSA’s Charter Renewal Term Length Project
Charter renewal is one of the most consequential tools authorizers have. It is the formal moment when an authorizer evaluates whether a school has earned the right to continue operating and under what...
NACSA Transition Updates
Karega Rausch, NACSA’s President & CEO, has accepted an exciting new role as the Executive Director of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC). We are grateful for Karega’s contributions and strong leadership.  We are also...
NACSACon 2026: Learning in Community
Good authorizing doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s built through shared knowledge and, honest conversations. It’s buoyed by a professional field that holds itself to high standards. NACSACon brings that community...