Sara Frank

Sara Frank is GG+A’s Director of Knowledge Resources. She plays a key role in assisting departments across the firm in leveraging internal and external data, overseeing the firm’s document management, conducting qualitative research studies for clients, and more. Additionally, Sara provides a broad analysis of the philanthropic landscape, including market, survey, and administrative data. She brings 20 years of experience to her role, with expertise in records management, information governance, research and writing, and program and project management. 

Prior to joining GG+A, Sara was the Program Manager for the National Cancer Institute Genomic Data Commons at the University of Chicago. In this role, she maintained a knowledgebase for more than 75,000 researchers globally each month. She also collaborated with colleagues across scientific, IT, and security teams to share secure, high-quality cancer research data. Previously, Sara was a manager of records and information at the legal firm Foley & Lardner LLP, where she oversaw regional data and information governance activities for 21 offices worldwide and collaborated with partners and senior leaders on best practice policies, processes, and systems.  

Earlier in her career, Sara was a project manager and center administrator for Northwestern University’s Center for Health Information Partnerships (within the Feinberg School of Medicine), helping to establish a new Health Informatics Research Center that aggregates large volumes of patient data from electronic health records. She also founded Salient Research LLC, a company that identifies noteworthy trends in datasets through research, analysis, reporting, and dissemination of information from conferences, white papers, social media, and more. In addition, Sara formerly worked for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the Network for Effective Collaboration Technologies through Advanced Research (NECTAR) at the University of Toronto, and at Sheffield Hallam University in England.  

Sara earned her M.F.A. in writing and digital media at Columbia University, and her B.A. in English at Reed College. She recently completed the Climatebase Core Fellowship and holds certifications in climate science from Columbia University and the Smithsonian Institution. Sara also holds professional memberships with the Association for Intelligent Information Management (AIIM), the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), Net Impact Chicago, and the Illinois Green Alliance. She is a former auxiliary board member of the Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).