Sara Garofalo Linder | People

Sara Linder works with clients to develop and implement their governmental relations strategies. She has experience representing trade associations, public, non-profit and private organizations, and foreign sovereigns. Sara's work portfolio focuses on a range of defense, education, financial services, tax, and veterans policy matters. She assists clients in raising their profile on Capitol Hill and providing analysis on federal legislative and regulatory policy developments. Sara also helps clients navigate the appropriations processes, by identifying funding or policy opportunities, and develop strategies to support her clients' priorities. Sara has successfully advised clients on policy and funding strategies relating to the recent coronavirus relief packages. She has experience securing federal funding and policy fixes that have been included in coronavirus response legislation on veterans, healthcare, and higher education issues.

Prior to joining the firm, Sara was an associate at a boutique lobbying firm, where she represented clients in the energy, telecommunications, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. She also brings campaign experience having worked as a fundraiser and field operative on various senatorial and congressional campaigns. Additionally she previously served as the Director of Federal Relations for Miami University of Ohio, where she lead the university’s federal advocacy efforts on higher education policy, federal funding, research and regulatory matters before Congress and federal agencies.

Sara received her B.A. from Miami University of Ohio and a M.P.P. at the George Washington University.

Focus Areas

Legislative & Public Policy

Experience

Research institute in successfully securing a US$21 million increase in appropriations to support post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research, which had been proposed for a multi-million funding cut in the president's budget.
Trade Association in authoring and securing the inclusion of appropriations report language on federal research funding and aging veterans.
Top-tier nonprofit global management school alumni association in successfully representing it before the Department of Education in opposing a merger with a major for-profit education corporation.
Foreign government in securing the passage of legislation signed into law to provide a technical correction to REAL ID Act to remedy legal restrictions on access to long-term driver’s licenses for citizens of Freely Associated States residing in the U.S.
Foreign government in securing appropriations language on veterans' healthcare access issues under the Foreign Medical Program.

Top research university in securing legislative language in the 2018 Farm Bill, which was signed into law, authorizing a new public-private partnership pilot program to address food insecurity.
One of the nation's largest community colleges in providing strategic counsel and advising on legislation incorporated into the FY 2018 and FY 2019 Labor-HHS appropriations bill as an open textbook pilot.
Large trade association in representation on legislative and regulatory issues relating to compliance under the Drug Quality and Security Act and state pharmacy practice laws.
Research institute in securing language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to expand the DOD's traumatic brain injury research portfolio.
Large trade association in drafting regulatory comments in connection with the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Large research university in successfully securing an $8.5 million dollar authorization for a new Veterans Affairs clinic.