Sarah Verardo is a passionate advocate for communities whose stories need to be told, driven by her personal experience as a caregiver to her husband, Michael, who sustained life-altering injuries during his service in Afghanistan.

​

A master at building effective public-private partnerships, Sarah has facilitated pilot programs with the United States Government to tackle the most urgent issues in impacted communities. She advises Administration officials and members of Congress and has been instrumental in shaping national policy that directly improves the lives of diverse populations.

 

As CEO of The Independence Fund, Sarah has led innovative programs to support wounded Veterans, including the distribution of over 2,600 all-terrain track chairs and the launching of the Operation Resiliency program to address Veteran suicide. In a move that was at once vital and inspiring, the August 2021 collapse of Afghanistan led Verardo and three others to co-found the direct-response rescue and aid organization Save Our Allies (SOA). Since then, SOA has evacuated more than 17,000 US citizens, SIV holders, and wartime Allies from Afghanistan.

 

Sarah’s global work can be found in diplomatic environments and public-private partnerships formed in Ukraine, Israel, Afghanistan, France, and parts of Africa. With an emphasis on expeditionary medicine and last-mile precision delivery, Sarah builds teams of helpers all over the world. In a pilot program with the state of North Carolina, Sarah created VJI and FRAG (First Responders Action Group), a program of record operating in more than 85% of the state to de-escalate and decriminalize mental health emergencies. Sarah also runs The Verardo Group, an incubator for societal change.

 

She is a dedicated mother of three and a vocal advocate on national platforms for critical social issues.