Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation announces appointment of Sara Wilson as new executive director

After an extensive search process, Sara was the optimal candidate bringing executive experience in both business and non-profit environments. In addition to her professional expertise, Sara’s deep love for history and literature align well with the mission of the Foundation which is to preserve Laura (Riding) Jackson’s home, maintain the Florida native plant garden which surrounds it at the Mueller Campus of Indian River State College in Vero Beach, and nurture writers through a series of literary offerings including adult and teen writers groups, summer camps, workshops, and poetry festivals.

Sara's career experience at nonprofits includes the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and, most recently, the Humane Society of Greater Jupiter/Tequesta, where she served as Chief Operating Officer.  She is a lifelong volunteer, having given her time to local civic organizations, school committees, hospitals, and tutoring groups.  In her business career, Sara has participated in the launch and growth of companies from founding through national and international expansion. In between these professional and volunteer endeavors, she has also worked as a freelance writer and historical researcher.

Sara grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Tufts University.  She moved to Washington, DC where she earned a Master's Degree in U.S. History at American University and remained in the DC area for the next twenty years before moving to Florida in 2016.

Marie Stiefel, on behalf of the Board, stated, “As President of the Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation, I am delighted to have Sara Wilson join us as Executive Director. Sara brings a rare combination of skills and experiences to the position, having spent time in the world of startups, and as an executive in a nonprofit. In addition, Sara is a life-long writer, and serious student of history. Members of our Board reviewed forty-seven applicants from New York City to Wyoming and interviewed the top four candidates. Sara Wilson is the right person to lead the Foundation into its 30th anniversary year and beyond. I know members of the community will help us make her welcome to Indian River County.”