Sarah Chenven
founder
Hi, I'm an attorney and nonprofit leader who believes that how an organization operates is inseparable from what it stands for—and I have spent my career helping mission-driven organizations live up to their own values.
I began my professional life in international relief and development, managing programs in post-conflict and disaster-affected regions across the Balkans and beyond. There, I saw firsthand how durable progress depends on a civil society built with dignity, equity, and local leadership at its core.
After earning my law degree, I worked with organizations advancing civil liberties and access to economic justice. I later co-founded a certified Community Development Financial Institution in Portland, OR, and went on to serve as Chief Operating and Strategy Officer at Credit Builders Alliance. Most recently, as CEO of Working Credit, I led a period of significant organizational growth.
Throughout my work, I focus on three Ps: people, practices, and priorities. I believe mission-driven organizations succeed when they listen deeply, continually refine how they operate, and maintain disciplined focus on what matters most. I'm also particularly curious about how our nervous systems impact the way we show up—at our places of work and in our personal lives. While I struggle to navigate the interplay between the two for myself, I try to do so with humility, empathy, and a dose of sarcasm for good measure.
Outside of work, I'm a proud GenX-er, a single mom by choice to a remarkable teenage daughter, and these days, as committed an optimist as I can be.
Sarah Chenven
founder
Hi, I'm an attorney, nonprofit leader, and certified coach who believes that how an organization operates is inseparable from what it stands for.
I began my professional life in international relief and development, working for the International Rescue Committee, the American Red Cross, and the International Organization for Migration across the Balkans in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
While earning my law degree at the University of Texas at Austin in 2005, I worked with organizations advancing civil liberties and access to economic justice. After law school I moved to Portland, OR, where I worked for Mercy Corps, and later co-founded a certified Community Development Financial Institution dedicated to helping individuals, families and small businesses achieve financial inclusion and economic mobility. I went on to serve as Chief Operating and Strategy Officer at Credit Builders Alliance. Most recently, as CEO of Working Credit, I led a period of significant organizational growth until I stepped down in October 2025.
Throughout my work, I focus on three Ps: people, practices, and priorities. I believe mission-driven organizations succeed when they listen deeply, continually refine how they operate, and maintain disciplined focus on what matters most. I'm also particularly curious about how our nervous systems impact the way we show up—at our places of work and in our personal lives. While I struggle to navigate the interplay between the two for myself, I try to do so with humility, empathy, and a dose of sarcasm for good measure.
Outside of work, I'm a proud GenX-er, a single mom to a remarkable teenage daughter, and these days, as committed an optimist as I can be.
