Sarah Leary is the Interim Associate Director for Incubation Programs at the George Washington University Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIE), where she leads the design and delivery of programs supporting early-stage ventures. Her work focuses on building scalable incubation models, managing startup cohorts, and strengthening partnerships across academic, industry, and international stakeholders, with particular expertise in designing programs for international and dual-use technology ventures.
Previously, she served as Supervisor of Program Operations at OIE, overseeing operations, logistics, and staff across a diverse portfolio of programs, including Lean Startup short courses, international initiatives, mentorship programs, and the New Venture Competition. She has led efforts to streamline program infrastructure, enhance participant experience, and implement data-driven improvements across the venture development pipeline.
Before joining GW, Sarah was Climate Action Manager at American University, where she led institution-wide climate programming, including the Year of Climate Action. This cross-campus initiative unified research, events, and engagement efforts across traditionally siloed departments, significantly expanding visibility and participation.
In addition to her primary role, Sarah serves as a strategic operations consultant for Seamless Transition, a dual-use medtech venture, where she supports organizational planning and growth strategy.
Sarah began her career in the arts, holding roles in curation, exhibition management, and museum operations at the American University Museum and other institutions. Her research has been published by the American University Museum (Inside Out: Artists in the Studio) and Florida State University’s Athanor (“Sarah Miriam Peale's Mary Leypold Griffith and the Staging of Republican Motherhood”).
She holds a Master of Arts in Art History from American University, where her work focused on American modern art.