“Rural and tribal communities are incredibly strong and resilient. But we shouldn’t always have to be so resourceful. Systems need to be pushed to include rural.”

Sarah Pytalski returned to Oregon’s Umpqua Valley in 2020 from rural community development, communications and policy roles across the country, including nationally for the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center and consultant for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and regionally in Montana, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota for Rural Dynamics’ Northern Plains Initiative.

Sarah joined the Foundation in 2022, and focuses on rural policy advocacy, strategic communications and research. “My work involves a lot of listening, learning, analysis and storytelling,” she said. “Working alongside rural and tribal grantees and partners, we can impact the systems that affect everyday lives.”

Sarah went to Oregon State University, one of only two rural policy graduate programs in the country, to earn a Master of Public Policy degree. Her learning also included her time as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and undergraduate work in international development at McGill University. As a mother of two and a birth and postpartum doula, Sarah loves connecting with and supporting new families.
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