Sahar Mitchell

Sahar is excited to share her commitment to implementing collaborative change with the SVP team. Both visionary and pragmatic, Sahar brings over 20 years of experience in the arts and in the non-profit sector to her role as Program Manager. As Program Manager, Sahar adores helping SVP’s 2Gen non-profits strategize their goals and deepen their community impact. In conjunction, she is devoted to facilitating meaningful opportunities for Partners to engage in capacity-building projects.

Sahar’s personal and career trajectory has followed a dual course, often resulting in a professional nexus between the arts and community building. Through her work with non-profit organizations such as Community Investment Corporation and Arizonans for Cultural Development, Sahar developed humility, agility, and versatility to get the job done. While serving on the boards of two local, influential organizations, Southern Arizona Legal Aid, a lifeline for low-income families in several Southern Arizona counties, and Many Mouths, One Stomach, the drivers of the annual All Soul’s Procession, she learned how to cultivate sustainable philanthropic relationships.

Spotlighting the transformative power of self-expression, especially for marginalized voices, Sahar led the free, family-friendly event Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts for 12 years, which galvanized her ability to create intentional public/private partnerships. For her work with PAPA, Sahar won a New Times ‘Best of Phoenix’ award.

While seemingly disparate parts of her life, Sahar feels that her roles in the arts and in the non-profit world contribute to her desire to leave a legacy of uplift and altruism. In these efforts, Sahar blazed a path for diversity and inclusion. While tenured at the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, she became the first African American woman to land a speaking role in the genre of American Sideshow. As a volunteer, Sahar supported the marketing, communications, and development team at Kore Press, a publisher for female, POC, and LGBTQ+ authors. As a champion for literacy, Sahar tutored at the Creative Writing Center at Pima Community College and taught composition while an MFA student at the University of Montana and thus understands how crucial education is to the manifestation of the 2Gen approach.

Sahar has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College and performs locally with the Strange Family Circus. She loves the beautiful City of Tucson where she has resided with her two daughters since 2013.