Sarah Solari Hayes
Director of Innovation and Workforce Development
Get to Know Me
I love what I do because...
we have an impact on Virginia students and our economy.
Something I learned in this role that surprised me...
is how entrepreneurial Virginia students are! So many students have wonderful ideas and are not afraid of charting their own path to make their concepts come to fruition. It's very exciting to see.
I find the most joy in my work when...
we are working on a new idea for a program. When we find partners who want to work with us to execute a new program and find that we have many supporters in many different fields, it's a validation of the work we're doing.
The book(s) currently on my nightstand...
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
Affiliation
CCI Hub
Focus
Hayes is responsible for all the programs under CCI's Innovation/Commercialization and Workforce Development mission lines.
Background
Sarah manages a portfolio of programs supporting the innovation/commercialization and workforce development mission lines that will ensure the Commonwealth of Virginia is a global center of excellence in cybersecurity research and education.
Previously, she has supported federal, commercial, and start-up clients with projects ranging from cybersecurity resilience assessments, human capital strategy, business process development and reengineering, and Project Management Office development and support. Sarah also has fundraising experience and currently holds a CrossFit L1 certification and coaches at her local CrossFit gym.
Alma Mater
Virginia Tech