Sarah Goforth was the Section Head for Regional Innovation at the National Science Foundation (NSF), managing a $470M portfolio of deep tech and place-based innovation initiatives authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act. With over 15 years of senior leadership experience across academia, government, media, and philanthropy, she specializes in technology commercialization, venture capital strategy, public-private partnerships, and ecosystem building.
Goforth previously served as Executive Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Arkansas, where she scaled operations 40x, launched the university’s first VC fund, and built a top-20 national graduate entrepreneurship program. Her earlier career includes leadership roles at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Discovery, Inc. She holds an M.A. in Science Journalism from UW-Madison and a B.A. in Biology from Hendrix College.