C. Sara Minard earned a Ph.D. in Economics (highest honors) from Sciences Po, Paris, under the tutelage of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen for her research on social entrepreneurship in the informal economy in Senegal, West Africa, where she served as a small business volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps (1998-2000). She is the Founder and CEO of Manarine LLC, an international consulting firm working at the intersection of new economic thinking, social innovation and entrepreneurship, impact and sustainable investing, and participatory design. As a socio-economist for international financial institutions (World Bank/IFC, OECD), regional governments (ECOWAS), universities, NGOs, community-based organizations, and companies from West Africa to Appalachia to India, Dr. Minard has 25+ years of experience working with diverse stakeholders on connecting global, regional, and local economic development strategies with policies for sustainable and ethical private sector investment.

In addition to consulting, research, and teaching, Dr. Minard serves as part-time Associate Director of the Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Public Square at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where she convenes dialogues and conducts research, and teaches an award-winning course on impact and sustainable investing and a course on impact management and measurement as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She lives on a multi-generational family farm in New Jersey, speaks fluent French and Wolof, and is a certified yoga and mindfulness meditation teacher.