Prior to joining Lyft, Sara El-Amine had an extraordinary career in community organizing; ranging from an entry level role, to an executive director role, for the Obama campaign. After reading Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope, Sara quit her job, drove to the Iowa headquarters in 2008, and offered to help. It was a bold decision that paid off. With time, Sara rose to the National Director role of Obama’s reelection campaign and served as executive director of Organizing for Action (OFA), leading Obama’s citizen-led movement for change across the U.S.

Today, as Head of Community Engagement at Lyft, Sara has jumped into the business world with the same enthusiasm she had for her organizing work. Sara really, really believes in the power of the gig economy. In this conversation, Sara shares why she made the switch to the business world and why she believes gig work has so much potential to help communities across the US  and the people working in the industry. We discuss the emerging field of community engagement and what Sara and her team focus on day-to-day. Sara shares what she looks for when hiring, and the background or experience that is useful in a community engagement role. 

Sara also shares some of the deeply personal reasons that motivated her to pursue a career in organizing and social change. We talk about the ways Sara’s family and personal experiences were the origin of her early passion for social impact, and how her desire to help people and improve communities continues to be the primary inspiration for her work.

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