Sarah Smith Orr

Sarah Smith Orr is the Executive Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute (KLI) and visiting professor in CMC’s Psychology Department where she teaches Foundations of Leadership and Leading Social Innovation. She is also a founding member of the Board of Advisors of the Kravis Leadership Institute. For 21 years, she has been the owner/principal in a management and planning consulting firm, Smith Orr & Associates, specializing in the social/nonprofit sector. She is an adjunct professor at the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management (Drucker School) at Claremont Graduate University (CGU) where she teaches a required course for Arts Management Academic Program, Leading a Sustainable Community-Based Organization. She received a “Faculty Member of the Year” award from the Drucker School in 2011. Additionally, she serves as a lecturer for Applied Women’s Studies program at CGU. Sarah is a certified practitioner and a member of the Advisory Board for the Connective Leadership Institute and a certified coach through the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara. As the founding Executive Director, she led the start-up of Leadership California, a statewide educational program for women leaders. She served as chair of the Board of Scholars of the Vail Leadership Institute and a board member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. A recipient of several state and local awards for her social sector leadership, she is an honorary member of the Pasadena Rotary Club and the American Red Cross. Sarah holds an Executive MBA from Claremont Graduate University (CGU) and is at the dissertation stage for completing her PhD in Education at CGU.