Sarah E. Blodgett joined McDermott Ventures in 2011 and currently serves as Vice President of the firm. She joins the organization with nearly 15 years of experience in branding, marketing and communications.  

Most recently she served as Chief of Staff and Communications Director to Massachusetts State Senator Karen Spilka, the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.  In this role, she was responsible for dramatically increasing the Senator’s profile in local, statewide and national media, as well as her online presence.  

Sarah was instrumental in the passage of Jenny’s Law, constituent-driven legislation designed to protect individuals and families from large life insurance companies by shifting the burden of proof for pre-existing conditions from patients to insurers.  Sarah’s media advocacy included statewide and national television coverage, as well as a grassroots social media campaign.

As Chief of Staff, Sarah orchestrated a listening tour of businesses throughout the state after the 2008 economic downturn.  The resulting law, the Economic Development Reorganization Act of 2010, streamlined government, creating a more business-friendly environment, and included a permit extension provision for real estate projects.  

Previous to her work in state government, Sarah worked in international development and education.  As the Public Relations Manager for Swedish-based EF Foundation for Foreign Study, Sarah was responsible for media placements in local papers throughout the United States.  She also managed an international cross-functional team to update branding, positioning and messaging.  

A dedicated self-starter and early adopter, Sarah created websites for the Boston-based international development non-profits World Education and the Institute for Development Research (IDR) on a shoe-string budget in the late 1990s.  She also led the international marketing for IDR, whose associates included Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

A strong advocate for 21st century skills in education, Sarah served as Senator Spilka’s designee to Governor Deval Patrick’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Council.  She continues to advocate for technology skills and international education for American students in her volunteer activities.  Sarah is a graduate of Northeastern University.