Sarah Anderson

About Sarah

Sarah Anderson is the associate director for the Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties team. She executes R Street’s criminal justice reform priorities to hold justice systems and officials in our country to the same standard that lovers of individual liberty, free markets, and limited/effective government work to hold the rest of the public sector.

Through leading the team’s external relations and coalitions work, collaborating to shape team strategy and growth, and using her unique and extensive experience in the libertarian and conservative movement to contribute strategically to the broader policy work of the team, Sarah plays a key role in the impact that the Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties team has in its space.

Prior to R Street, she was the director of policy at FreedomWorks, where she managed several policy portfolios across the organization, including criminal justice, budget and taxes, foreign policy, education, healthcare, and regulation. Throughout her time there, she primarily focused her efforts in government affairs, grassroots education, and strategic communications and media, having an impact on major legislation enacted at the federal level, such as the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and the First Step Act of 2018, as well as notable “firsts” in state legislatures, such as the Clean Slate Act in Pennsylvania which inspired the first introduction of similar federal legislation. She regularly hosted interviews with members of Congress, notable elected state policymakers, and conservative movement thought leaders, and hosted FreedomWorks’ podcast. She also appeared with commentary and analysis on local and national radio and television programs, as well as in print outlets including The Hill, the Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Washington Times, RealClearPolicy, and RealClearMarkets.

In her work with R Street, Sarah has since continued to make significant contributions to the criminal justice movement through publishing op-eds in outlets including Newsweek, The Orange County Register, the Washington Examiner, and The Hill; hosting webinars on hot-button criminal justice issues; submitting testimony in states including Missouri, Texas, and Maryland; co-authoring policy studies like “Exploring De-escalation Training: Programs, Impact, and Resourcing” and providing timely commentary on current criminal justice happenings; and participating or presenting as an expert in convenings hosted by organizations like the National Council of State Legislatures, the American Legislative Exchange Council, and the National League of Cities, among others.

As a Virginian born and raised, Sarah received her bachelor’s degree from The College of William & Mary in 2017 with a double major in history and government. She now lives in Granby, Colorado with her skis, bikes, golf clubs, fly rod, and backpacking gear.