Sarah Swanbeck

Sarah Swanbeck is the Founder and Executive Director for the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans, a research center which envisions a new paradigm in public policy to advance an equitable, sustainable, and prosperous society for future generations. Sarah is a public policy analyst with expertise in California state and local governance and budget issues. Her research focuses on how budgeting, tax policy, and the funding of public programs affects different generations, with an emphasis on how young adults are doing relative to previous generations. 

She previously worked in Legislative Affairs for California Common Cause, a nonprofit that advocates for more open, honest, and accountable government. While at Common Cause, she successfully advocated for important changes to the state’s campaign finance laws as well as the first ever substantive reform to California’s century-old initiative process.

Outside the realm of California politics, Sarah has spent years working as a policy analyst on both state and local issues. As an analyst for the Controller in San Francisco, she worked with city departments to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their services. She also previously worked for the Public Policy Institute of California and the California Public Utilities Commission on state energy and water policy. She holds an MPP from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and a BA in Economics and Italian from Wellesley College.

Contact and Office Hours

Areas of Responsibility

• Berkeley Institute for Young Americans

Last updated on 09/05/2023