Sarah James

Sarah James has been recruiting chief executives for national and international nonprofits since 1996. She has partnered with a variety of notable institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, Lincoln Center Theater, Brooklyn Museum, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Music Center, World Monuments Fund, SFMOMA, New York Botanical Garden, Center Theater Group, The High Line, the Hammer, and New York City Ballet, among many others. 

Prior to joining Isaacson, Miller, Sarah spent 20 years at Phillips Oppenheim, where she founded the firm’s visual arts practice and co-led its culture one. Earlier in her career, Sarah served nonprofits at two global search firms, recruiting executives for leading arts, aid, advocacy, education, philanthropic, and social-service organizations. After serving in the Peace Corps, Sarah helped to establish the national social justice nonprofit Public Allies, which was awarded a Presidential National Service Medal.

Her civic service includes helping to develop the Latino Economic Development Corporation in Washington DC, and a New York City business development program focused on assisting women and entrepreneurs from traditionally underrepresented groups. As a volunteer in the nineties, she established an early pilot program between CASES and the Museum for African Art as an alternative sentencing path for convicted youth. A native Angeleno and University of California, Berkeley graduate, she currently resides in New York City.