Undersecretary of Economic Strategies at the Executive Office of Economic Development, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Sarah Stanton is the Undersecretary of Economic Strategies at the Executive Office of Economic Development in the Healey/Driscoll administration. Ms. Stanton is responsible for the state’s tourism and international trade sectors through the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment. She is also leading the office’s efforts on the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s cross-secretariat Workforce Skills Cabinet and helps coordinate federal opportunities like CHIPS and Science Act funding, and ARPA-H. In addition, Ms. Stanton works closely with quasi-government partners Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and MassVentures. 

Ms. Stanton was previously the Town Manager of Bedford, Massachusetts. In this position, which is appointed by the elected Select Board, Ms. Stanton served as chief executive of the Town. Ms. Stanton has held several key roles in local government over the past 18 years—including Budget Director for the City of Cambridge, Finance Director/City Auditor for the City of Salem, and other municipal leadership roles in the Town of Ipswich, City of Woburn, and City of Haverhill. She is an adjunct professor in the graduate programs for city planning, political science, and public administration at Boston University, Merrimack College, and Northeastern University. Ms. Stanton holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Plymouth State University, and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Northeastern University.