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Sara Minkara Biography

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.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Sara Minkara and other top speakers and celebrities.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 01/26/2026.

Sara Minkara Speaking Topics

  • Authentic Leadership as a Growth Strategy: How Curiosity and Connection Drive Performance and Innovation

    Your audience will leave with:

    • Proven strategies for exercising leadership through curiosity, vulnerability, and authentic connections
    • A concrete sense of the connection between authentic leadership, establishing a culture of openness and trust, and the subsequent free flowing of ideas and innovation.
    • Practical strategies and playbooks for carrying authentic leadership forward in their daily lives.

  • How We Helped Change the State Department Creating Transformational Change and Nimble Solutions in Complex Systems

    Your audience will leave with:

    • A clear lens to distinguish between quick fixes and the hard work of adaptive solutions – and the courage to ask the hard questions about whether a proposed solution is actually addressing the problem or just treating symptoms.
    • Concrete strategies for leading adaptive work – how you can work across large, bureaucratic organizations to make space for difficult conversations, create expectations for shared responsibility, and build capacity for taking the real hard work forward.
    • Lessons from the inside – based on real work at the U.S. State Department, this session offers tested insights on shifting institutional culture, navigating resistance

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Sara Minkara Videos

Sara Minkara | TEDxMidAtlantic

Sara Minkara | TEDxMidAtlantic

Why I don’t need you to "fix" my disability

U.S. Special Advisor SARA MINKARA - 2023 Global Leadership Awards Honoree

U.S. Special Advisor SARA MINKARA - 2023 Global Leadership Awards Honoree

Congratulations to Global Leadership Award Honoree U.S. Special Advisor Sara Minkara! Minkara is a pioneering advocate for inclusivity and the rights...

Disrupting The Disability Narrative. Terri-Karelle Speaks With U.S. Special Advisor Sara Minkara

Disrupting The Disability Narrative. Terri-Karelle Speaks With U.S. Special Advisor Sara Minkara

Terri-Karelle sits down with Sarah Minkara who is the Special Advisor on International Disability Rights. She's the highest-ranking officer on the...

See All Videos »

  • How do I book Sara Minkara to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Sara Minkara for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Sara Minkara, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Sara Minkara or any other speaker of your choice.

  • What are the speaker fees for Sara Minkara

    Speaking fees for Sara Minkara, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Sara Minkara are $30,000 - $50,000 for live events and $20,000 - $30,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Sara Minkara, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Sara Minkara speak about?

    Sara Minkara is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Business, Civil Rights, Culture, DEI, Disability, Diversity & Inclusion, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, Faith & Religion, Faith & Religion, Family & Parenting, Future of Work, Futurism, Government, Health & Wellness, Immigration, Inspirational, Middle Eastern Heritage, Motivational, Muslim, Muslim, Personal Growth, Social Activism, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Justice, TED, Women in Business, Women's Empowerment, Women's History Month, Youth

  • Where does Sara Minkara travel from?

    Sara Minkara generally travels from Washington, DC, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

  • Who is Sara Minkara’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Sara Minkara for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Sara Minkara for your next private or corporate function.

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    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Sara Minkara or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Sara Minkara is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Authentic Leadership as a Growth Strategy: How Curiosity and Connection Drive Performance and Innovation, How We Helped Change the State Department Creating Transformational Change and Nimble Solutions in Complex Systems, Reimagining the Future of Work and Technology: Leveraging the Disability Lens for Innovation, Lessons from a Diplomat: How to Drive Action Around Your Cause When It’s Not on the Agenda and Why Disability Perspectives Belong in Every Global Conversation. The estimated speaking fee range to book Sara Minkara for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. Sara Minkara generally travels from Washington, DC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Shiza Shahid, Bushra Amiwala, Dr. Michael Time, Tiffany Yu and Linda Sarsour. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Sara Minkara for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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