Sarah Case

Sarah Case is the Vice President of Humanitarian System Change. In this new role she will work with Airbel, the Technical Units and the Policy and Solutions Network to 1) refine and prioritize short and longer-term policy and practice shifts with the highest potential impact from across S100 programmatic ambitions, Global Research & Innovation Priorities, Organizational Research and Learning Priorities, major areas of programmatic delivery and/or scaling ambition, and so on 2) refine and develop roadmaps to deliver on these changes, 3) support the execution of these changes with key internal and external partners, 4) work with the Policy Solutions  and the Advocacy and Influence teams to prioritize Policy and Practice shifts coming from our programs that translate to global policy priorities.

Sarah’s commitment to policy began by leading programs in the Middle East. In 2011, she joined the IRC Iraq program as the Protection Coordinator. She then moved to the MENA Regional Team as the lead Policy and Advocacy advisor for the Syria Crisis, where she oversaw comms, policy and advocacy. In 2015, she joined the President’s Office, eventually becoming the Senior Director for Policy and Planning. As the lead for policy from the CEO’s office and Head of the Delivery Unit, Sarah had a large cross functional portfolio. She led the external analysis for IRC’s centenary strategy; co-led the Covid Red Team; was the sherpa for the World Health Organization appointed Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness; and worked closely with David Miliband on his book and Ted Talk, Rescue. She has ample experience developing strategies and frameworks, leading new areas of work, and working collaboratively across traditional management lines to achieve goals. After a decade with IRC, Sarah left in 2021 to pursue a Master's in Public Policy (MPP) at Princeton University, where she was awarded the MPP Prize for Academic Excellence and Public Service. Last year she came back to IRC as a consultant to help us develop a new strategic direction for policy and advocacy.

Before joining the humanitarian world, Sarah consulted for government clients like the NHS, and worked for UN and human rights groups like Amnesty International. In addition to an MPP, Sarah holds a MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons) from McGill University in International Development. Throughout her career Sarah has worked in Ecuador, Malaysia, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, and the West Bank. Sarah now lives near NYC and is the mother of two little humans, ages five and two.