Sara Alford, Development Director

Sara’s love of the outdoors brought her to MountainTrue following a diverse career of environmental and wildlife advocacy. Sara is a native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and earned her B.S. in Environmental Studies and Recreation Business Management at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Her studies led her to the Student Conservation Association and a summer working with the US Fish & Wildlife Service in Wyoming. Upon graduation, Sara returned to Wyoming to pursue an internship with the U.S. Forest Service and eventually moved through the ranks of Wilderness Ranger and Wildland Firefighter, working on the front lines of habitat and wilderness conservation. In 2001, Sara began her career in non-profit development when she began working in Special Events for the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, a classical music collection of concerts raising more than $1 million dollars at their annual event. Looking to expand and broaden her career, Sara moved to New York City to join the Wildlife Conservation Society as a Development Officer promoting and raising funds for more than 450 programs and projects around the world. Traveling throughout the country to gain support on both a national and international level ultimately lead her back to her love of nature and the mountains of Wyoming where she became Director of the Cougar Fund, an organization working to protect mountain lions, native predators and their habitats throughout the Americas. Sara also met her husband Tyler, a native of North Carolina, in Jackson Hole. They moved to New Orleans to pursue Tyler’s career before settling in Asheville to start a family and be part of a thriving community that values and supports the natural environment and fosters the creative arts. Along with her husband and their three Brittany dogs, Sara loves to explore the mountains, valleys, and streams of Western North Carolina hiking, mountain biking, and camping. She also enjoys yoga and the unique and vibrant food and wine culture that Western North Carolina has to offer. Sara is thrilled to be joining the team at such an exciting time in the organization’s history and will specialize in advancing our Major Gifts and Corporate Sponsorship Programs.