C. Sara Minard earned a Ph.D. in Economics (highest honors) from Sciences Po, Paris, under the tutelage of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen for her research on social entrepreneurship in the informal economy in Senegal, West Africa, where she served as a small business volunteer with the Peace Corps (1998-2000). She is the Founder and CEO of Manarine LLC, an international consulting firm working at the intersection of new economic thinking, impact measurement and management, social enterprise business modelling, sustainable economic policy, impact investing, and participatory governance. As a socio-economist for international financial institutions (World Bank/IFC, OECD), regional governments, universities, NGOs, community-based organizations, social ventures, and investment funds from West Africa to Appalachia to India, Dr. Minard has three decades of experience working with diverse stakeholders on designing social innovations for sustainable economic development.
Dr. Minard is the Associate Director of the Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Public Square at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where she spearheads research, writing, and convenes thought leaders. She is also an Adjunct Professor in International and Public Affairs and the Brandmeyer Fellow for Impact and Sustainable Investing at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she teaches courses on sustainable investing, impact management, and measurement. She lives on a multi-generational family farm in New Jersey, speaks fluent French and Wolof, and is a certified yoga and mindfulness meditation teacher.
- Doctorate, Economics, Sciences Po, Paris
- Master, International Affairs, Columbia University/SIPA and Sciences Po, Paris
- Bachelor of Arts, Sociology and Women’s Studies, University of San Francisco
