ABOUT SARAH
Sarah's from a working class family - she doesn’t have generational wealth or political connections.
She's a working Mom with a family to feed, student loans to pay, and a community to fight for.
(And dinner to cook, every night).
Sarah Klee Hood is an Air Force veteran, elected councilor, mother raising two young daughters, environmental policy expert, and native Central New Yorker – she’s Sarah from Syracuse. Sarah currently lives in Dewitt, New York with her husband Rob and two daughters, Olivia and Amelia.
In 2022, she ran to give Central New York a voice but fell just short, despite corrupt crypto bro Sam Bankman-Fried spending nearly half a million dollars to beat her.
Sarah is an elected DeWitt Town Councilor. When she was first elected in 2021, she was the top ‘vote getter’ & broke two county turnout records. In addition to her service as an elected councilor on the DeWitt Town Board, Sarah also enjoys other areas of service to her community and country, including serving on:
- Sierra Club, Executive Committee, CNNY Chapter
- Town of DeWitt Police Commission
- Town of DeWitt Democratic Committee, Treasurer
- Onondaga Women’s Democratic Committee, NYSFDW, Chair
- Welch Terrace, Board of Directors
- Truman National Security Project, Member
- National Transportation Review Board AV090, Member
Sarah is a former Air Force Operations Officer (air traffic controller) where she led 140 personnel across 4 divisions, managed a budget of $25M, protected assets valued at $15B, and developed federal level policy.
As a technical software program manager, in the private sector, Sarah led an international team of engineers supporting programs across the globe.
Sarah transitioned to the nonprofit economic development sector because she wanted to have a direct impact in her community – while building small businesses, she supported the creation of 300+ jobs within Central New York. Most recently, Sarah worked in the environmental policy sector for state and federal agencies. Sarah worked with climate tech small businesses to create local jobs while addressing climate change.
Who is Sarah Klee Hood and Why are Voters so Excited About Her?
Central New York Strong
Born and raised in Central New York, Sarah comes from three generations of laborers who value service to country and community. Her mother was a nurse and her father was a union electrician for Niagara Mohawk.
Sarah learned the values of hard work, personal responsibility, and the importance of putting family first from her parents and grandparents. While her dad worked in Oswego, he made it to all of Sarah’s school sporting events. She also saw how her parents opened up their home to care for their neighbors and Sarah walked picket lines when her mother supported the union’s fight for better wages and working conditions.
Sarah began working at the age of 16 at a Kinney Drugs Pharmacy then waited tables at the Lincklaen House in Cazenovia while competing in soccer and track and field at Chittenango High School.
Service to Country
Sarah met her husband Rob, during undergrad. Rob enlisted in the Air Force to take advantage of the healthcare and education opportunities.
His first duty station was Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Seeing the responsibility and sense of duty Rob experienced in the military inspired Sarah. She joined ROTC at Arizona State University and hoped to be a dietician in the service.
It was during U.S. Air Force Officer Training her innate abilities were discovered – ability to act under stress and ability to take big picture strategy and break it down to small tasks.
Sarah commissioned as an Airfield Operations Officer (13M3) where she led a team of 140 across 4 divisions. She managed a budget of $25M, and secured assets valued at $50B. Sarah served as an air traffic controller and developed federal level policy used as benchmarks today.
As a commanding officer, she fought against discrimination within the ranks and stood up for her troops because she knew that while the mission is the priority, the people are the most important asset.
Service to Family
Starting their family was not easy for Sarah. She endured four miscarriages in traumatic circumstances. Because of this, she built a passion for women’s reproductive health and mental health. She’s aware of the lack of attention to postpartum challenges and the absence of coverage for women whose pregnancies do not end in a live birth.
Following the birth of their second daughter and with her husband deployed, Sarah decided to step away from the Air Force to focus on family.
Sarah transitioned to the role of a stay-at-home mother. While she loved being with her children and watching them grow she also found this time very challenging and lonely.
Service to Community
Sarah returned to the workforce as a technical program manager leading a team of engineers. Sarah implemented software systems to make transportation more efficient and reduce carbon. Sarah completed her M.B.A. from Syracuse University during this time.
Sarah soon realized she’s a service driven leader. She missed having a direct impact in her community, that’s why she took a pay cut and went to work for a non-profit fighting the climate crisis & promoting local economic development.
Sarah was the Director of a Clean Technology Incubator where she worked with the scientists and small businesses who create the technology to fight the climate crisis. Her program graduated companies with success, including the region’s first start-up worth millions and a company featured on the show Shark Tank.
