Sarah DeStefano

Lawyer & MPP Candidate

A native of the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York, I am passionate about strengthening rural economies through data-driven efforts.

After nearly a decade in the workforce, I am returning to academia in the Fall of 2021 as a Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. My return to the classroom is driven by a desire to properly implement data-driven policies which bring sustainable growth back to ailing rural regions, support small local governments, improve unemployment and generational outcomes, and foster confidence in American democratic institutions.

A lawyer, I received a Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School and am admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey. I am a proud alumna of American University in Washington, DC, where I received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics. After graduating from law school, I worked in New York City in the compliance departments of a foreign investment bank and an institutional broker-dealer focused on anti-money laundering and sanctions matters, as well as in private legal practice. Additionally, I currently serve on the Ulster County (NY) Commission on Reapportionment, an independent and volunteer commission tasked with re-establishing the boundaries of the 23 districts of the Ulster County Legislature with 2020 Census data.

I am a former National Review Institute NYC Regional Fellow (2018) and an active volunteer of the Junior League, a women-led non-profit organization dedicated to improving the well-being of children and families through the promotion of volunteerism, the development of women’s leadership, and direct assistance to communities in need. I am also a three-time NYC Marathon finisher, Peloton bike enthusiast, amateur concert band flutist, and aspiring globetrotter.