Senior Director, Health and Basic Needs
United Way for Southeastern Michigan

A career that began focused on social justice while working at an elementary school garden during college has blossomed for Sara Gold, the Senior Director of Health and Basic Needs at United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

While planting and harvesting with the children, she realized that many students had never tasted much of what they grew in the garden. So in her career, she has focused on domestic social safety-net policy and programs, including federal nutrition policy and programs.

She leads the implementation of United Way's strategy to ensure that households in Southeastern Michigan have access to food, housing, and healthcare in times of crisis. In that capacity, she led the efforts to help Oakland County distribute federal COVID relief funds to non-profits and mental health service providers.

Gold also leads United Way's Better with Breakfast initiative to increase participation in school breakfast programs that has expanded across Oakland County.

Gold received a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a master's degree from University of Michigan. She was the local board chair of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties

She lives in Huntington Woods with her husband and two daughters.

The information presented here was accurate as of January 1, 2022.