Staff Spotlight: Sarah Gledhill
Sarah Gledhill leads Sustainable Northwest’s clean energy program, where she works to bring community-led renewable energy projects to rural Oregon. Before joining the organization, Sarah spent nearly a decade in the energy sector, first as an analyst at a regional utility and then as a project manager for a solar development company. She holds a master’s degree in energy policy from the University of Oregon and brings both technical expertise and a deep commitment to energy equity to her work.
At Sustainable Northwest, Sarah oversees the organization’s community energy initiative, which helps rural communities navigate the complex process of developing locally owned renewable energy projects. She works with town councils, school districts, irrigation districts, and Tribal communities to assess their energy needs, evaluate project feasibility, and access the funding and technical resources required to move from concept to construction. Under her leadership, the program has supported projects ranging from rooftop solar on community buildings to small-scale wind installations on agricultural land.
Sarah is particularly focused on ensuring that the benefits of the clean energy transition reach rural and underserved communities that have historically been left out of energy policy conversations. “Rural Oregon has incredible renewable energy potential, wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, but too often the projects are developed by outside companies that export the energy and the profits,” she says. “We want to help communities own their energy future, literally, so that the economic benefits stay local.”
Outside of work, Sarah is a competitive cross-country skier, a board member of her local food co-op, and the parent of two young children who she says are already asking hard questions about climate change. She lives in Bend with her family and spends most weekends on skis, on a bike, or in the garden.