Sara Minkara

Sara Minkara is a former Ambassador-level U.S. diplomat, global thought leader, and dynamic speaker, whose immersive and groundbreaking methods help organizations unlock their potential, drive innovation, and create meaningful change across teams and sectors.

Minkara’s pioneering leadership and proprietary In the Dark methodology has guided corporate leaders, senior government officials, and civil society groups to transform their organizations. At the heart of her work is a single, radical belief:

Every person wants to be seen, heard, and valued. And when they are, organizations are more innovative, effective, and profitable.

Appointed U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights, Minkara was known around the world for her ability to build partnerships across governments, the private sector, and civil society. By bridging divides and creating sustainable solutions that benefited all stakeholders, she was able to elevate disability rights in spaces where it had never been on the agenda before – including the areas of trade, security, and digital transformation. She led the U.S. delegation at the inaugural G7 Ministerial Meeting on Inclusion and Disability in Perugia, Italy, and co-hosted the ASEAN-U.S. High-Level Disability Dialogue during Indonesia’s presidency. Minkara engaged with 21 economies through APEC, resulting in the signing of the Arequipa Goals, and hosted a special C5+1 session with Central Asian government leaders and civil society at the United Nations. From the Munich Security Conference to the Delphi Economic Forum to the East Africa AmCham Summit Sara helped to shift tired narratives, often changing world leaders’ minds in real time.

Before her government service, Minkara founded and led Empowerment Through Integration, a global non-profit organization that has transformed opportunities for youth with disabilities worldwide, breaking down systemic barriers for more than 1,000 young people with disabilities across the Middle East and North Africa for over a decade.

Her leadership expertise across multiple sectors, coupled with her lived experience as a blind, Lebanese-American, Muslim woman, all conspired together to shape her premiere In the Dark Methodology, an immersive, experiential organizational tool that uses visual and verbal constraints in order to unlock authentic leadership, deepen trust, and spark innovation.

Through her independent advisory practice, she guides public- and private-sector leaders on embedding disability within strategy, risk, operations, and emerging domains.

She has developed and is teaching the first-ever course on Disability and Diplomacy at Georgetown University, advancing a new academic and policy frontier and equipping future diplomats with the tools to advance disability in foreign policy.

In the Dark has transformed leadership teams, shifted culture, and unlocked new solutions across multiple Fortune 500 companies and international organizations. Organizations and leaders who have experienced In the Dark have reported significant improvements in communication, team cohesion, and problem-solving abilities. Sara has personally facilitated these sessions across diverse settings, from corporate boardrooms to student orientations and in locations from London to Lebanon. It is unlike any of the other facilitated corporate experiences out there today.

A graduate of Wellesley and Harvard’s Kennedy School, Minkara’s work has been recognized by Forbes 30 under 30, the Clinton Global Initiative, Vital Voices, and the MIT IDEAS Award.

Across her speaking, consulting, and immersive engagements, she has helped leaders across the public, private, and non-profit sectors seize their authenticity, have courageous conversations, and own their collective responsibility.