Sara Stanley is the Executive Director of Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC), a non-profit serving survivors of domestic abuse in 23 cities and towns on the North Shore. Sara joined HAWC in 2015 as Attorney Director of Legal Programs, was promoted to Deputy Director in 2017 and took the helm as Executive Director in 2018. While in law school and private practice, Sara took on pro bono cases with the Women’s Bar Foundation Family Law Project and other legal aid agencies leveraging the law to empower the most disenfranchised members of our community. She began her career as a member of the Attorney General’s Honor Program of the Department of Justice and served as a judicial law clerk for the Executive Office of Immigration Review.

Sara currently serves on the Board of Directors for Jane Doe Inc., was appointed to the Essex County Commission on the Status of Women in 2021 and serves on the education committee of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s THRIVE initiative for women. In 2021 she received the Diamond Award, recognizing women leaders in business making a positive impact on the North Shore community.

Sara obtained her juris doctorate from Suffolk University School of Law in 2007 and received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Haverford College in 2002.

Sara lives in Rowley with her husband, Joe, and their two children, Jack (12) and Avery (8). Sara enjoys running and coaching youth soccer and basketball. She is happiest when exploring national parks and enjoying live music with her family and friends.