Sarah Bagley
Sarah Bagley is the Executive Director of a non-profit and a candidate for Alexandria City Council.
Born and raised in Virginia, Sarah is dedicated to serving her community. She is an activist, a local precinct co-captain, an attorney, an executive director, and proud owner of her dog, Desmond, thanks to the DC Lucky Dog rescue program.
“Growing up I was lucky enough to be surrounded by love, and that love taught me how to show up for my community. I know that Alexandria is a community of smart, passionate people who care about our community and the world around us. I am running for City Council to become a voice for that passion, and to build an Alexandria that works for every single one of us.”
She credits her parents for teaching her what it means to work hard and show up for others. Her father, a Vietnam Veteran, worked as a shop supervisor at the US Naval Shipyard for more than 35 years, and never missed a day of work if he could avoid it. Her mom taught her the value of education, and encouraged her love of reading and being informed about the world around her. Sarah worked her way through college at William and Mary to get her BA in Government and completed law school at The Catholic University of America. She worked at two DC based law firms and clerked at the District Court in Montgomery County, Maryland witnessing the inequities that plague our criminal justice system for BIPOC and those who cannot afford to mount a defense.
Six years ago, she made the life-changing decision to leave her successful legal career and begin working for an affordable housing non-profit, focused on connecting tenants with community resources. Through this work, she’s had the opportunity to work with people from every part of the country, from Spanish speaking immigrants in the Rio Grande Valley, to Nepalese immigrants in Fargo, to predominantly Black communities in Georgia and South Carolina. These experiences have taught her the value of listening and that there is no one size fits all solution to provide any community what they need to stabilize and improve their circumstances.
Sarah is a volunteer leader in the Alexandria Democratic Committee and the local Moms Demand Action chapter driving change throughout the commonwealth. She helped develop a grassroots postcards to voters project in Alexandria and sat in on meetings of the Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission to learn more about the city’s goals and work in those areas. Whether it’s canvassing, phone banking, lobbying on Capitol Hill and in Richmond, she’s learned how to advocate for causes she’s passionate about. And she’s passionate about making Alexandria a better place for all its residents.