Sarah Leach Smith

As Manager, Programs at WBENC, Sarah Leach Smith is the strategic lead for WeIGNITE and supports other executive education programs at WBENC.

Sarah joined WBENC in January 2023 after a decade at museums and botanical gardens. Having served in many roles, ranging from frontline customer service and event management to courting major donors for capital projects and leading teams, Sarah has had the privilege of seeing these organizations at every level and has become passionate about setting up women for success on every step of their career journey.

Sarah was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, and lives there with her husband, Andrew, and their elderly pitbull mix, Jane. She earned her MS in Public Horticulture Administration as a Longwood Gardens Fellow at the University of Delaware, a BS in Horticulture from NC State University, and a BA in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill. She has also completed Duke University’s Nonprofit Management Certificate program. Sarah is an avid gardener (they do not own a lawnmower!), a yoga teacher-in-training, and a connoisseur of apple fritters (eating, not making).