Sara Yousefnejad Gallagher

Sara Yousefnejad Gallagher is the Associate Director at the Do Good Institute (DGI). Since 2016, she has worked to establish DGI, the School of Public Policy, and the University of Maryland as the global destination for doing good, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and social innovation.

Sara came to UMD from Calvert Impact Capital, where she served as the program officer for IdEA (the International diaspora Engagement Alliance), a public/private partnership with the U.S. Department of State and USAID that harnesses the passion and energy of diasporas to contribute to the social and economic development of their countries of heritage. As the program officer for IdEA, she managed philanthropy, investment, and entrepreneurship initiatives that leveraged the unique strengths and resources of diasporas. She also developed resources for diaspora groups to build their capacity to serve their missions, including training and networking opportunities.

Sara is an alumna of the Do Good Institute and the School of Public Policy, where she received her Master of Public Policy specializing in nonprofit management and leadership. While a graduate student at the Institute, Sara served as a Philanthropy Fellow at Calvert Impact Capital and at The Greater Washington Community Foundation. During this period she was also the Chair of the Do Good Challenge, the Institute’s unique philanthropy and entrepreneurship competition that galvanizes UMD students to do good for causes they’re passionate about or to start or advance their own social enterprises. Sara also participated in a variety of other Do Good Institute initiatives including the Global Philanthropy program for which she studied philanthropy and the nonprofit sectors in Israel and Jordan.

Prior to her graduate studies, Sara was the development associate at the Arlington Arts Center, where she managed fundraising initiatives and foundation relationships. She received her Bachelor of Arts in cultural studies and Middle Eastern languages from McGill University in Quebec, Canada. Sara is a proud Iranian-American, Canadaphile, Marylander, and Terp.