Speaker

Sarah Paden is Vice President and National Political director at PPI. She comes to this position with more than a decade of experience in local, state, and federal campaigns and government relations. Most recently Sarah served as head of the New York State Federal Affairs office in the Hall of States, during which time she led New York’s federal pandemic response, the state’s 2020 census effort and former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s chairship at the National Governors Association.

Sarah's work includes party and coalition building, leading the campaign to designate June Gun Violence Awareness Month in New York in 2013, building the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. She has also worked  for the Manhattan Democratic Party and New York State Democratic Party, creating and launching the Demmy Awards to highlight up and coming stars in the Democratic Party. She also served as Political Director and Senior Advisor on Cuomo 2018 and is a 2016 Hillary for America alum.

Sarah is a proud Southerner and holds an Art History degree from Bard College. She is an active member of the Washington Junior League and serves on the board of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities. She lives on Capitol Hill with her husband and two daughters.