Meet Sarah
Sarah Cechvala is an experienced researcher and facilitator with expertise in aid accountability, systems analysis, and conflict sensitive business practice. With over 10 years of experience, she has conducted field research in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America; and specializes in community engagement and organizational behavior change through systems analysis.
Sarah has worked with corporate practitioners and communities in fragile and conflict affected states in order to enhance company-community relations and to strengthen corporate social performance management systems. She has also advised INGOs, UN Agencies, bi-lateral donors, and national and local organizations in the humanitarian sector on strengthening institutional practices towards greater accountability to affected communities, enhanced feedback utilization practices, and efforts focused on community ownership and ‘local’ leadership.
Sarah is a Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Olso Centre for Development and the Environment where her research examines the agency of the private sector in peace and conflict through systems analysis; which is part of the UrbanSME project, which is funded by the Research Council of Norway. Sarah worked on responsible business and aid accountability at CDA from 2013-2021.
Sarah has experience living and working in Latin America and East Africa. She holds an MA from Georgetown University and an BA from Boston University.
