Sarah  Tanner , MPA

Faculty Practitioner

Department: Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy

Degrees

BS, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; MPA, Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado, Denver

Contact

Phone: 413.565.1344
Email: satanner@baypath.edu

Profile

Sarah Tanner serves as Faculty Practitioner within the graduate programs in nonprofit management and philanthropy. To this role she brings more than a decade of experience in fund development in the nonprofit community. Tanner teaches Introduction to Philanthropy and Fundraising Fundamentals.

Tanner was recently appointed to the position Vice President of Philanthropy at Noble Health Systems in Springfield, MA. Previously, she served as Vice President for Resource Development of the United Way of Pioneer Valley (2005 to 2008). While in this role, Tanner created and managed the organizational strategy for the annual fundraising campaign and provided oversight of the leadership giving program. . Tanner implemented a complete departmental reorganization resulting in enhanced fundraising performance and efficiency.

Tanner started her career at the United Way as a Marketing Manager for the Information and Referral Division in Denver, Colorado (1997-1998). From 1998-2000, Tanner served as the Director of Corporate Relations, Associate Director of Leadership Giving, and the Associate Group Manager for Resource Development for the United Way of New York. She served as Director of Community Investment and Director of Campaign and Marketing for the United Way of Hampshire County from 2002-2005.

Tanner received her Master of Public Administration degree in the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado in Denver. She earned her baccalaureate degree from the School of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She is a graduate of the Human Service Forum’s Emerging Leaders Institute.

Tanner is a board member of the UMASS-Amherst Fine Arts Center, the Hampshire Regional YMCA, Women in Philanthropy, and is a School Council Member for Leeds Elementary School. She was named to the BusinessWest Magazine ‘40 Under 40’ list in 2007, recognizing the professional, civic, and community-oriented success of 40 young professionals working in the four counties of Western Mass. (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire).