Sara Doerflein
Swallow Hill Music is excited to welcome Sara Doerflein as our new Development Director.
Sara is a first-generation college graduate with a passion for arts, music, health and education, serving high-need communities, and ensuring others succeed regardless of their background or family income level. Sara was previously the Founding Director of Education Pioneers, Metro Denver where she increased partnerships by 75% and worked closely with partners and diverse leaders to support the critical work happening in schools and education organizations.
“As a proud and long-time resident of Denver I am thrilled to join the team at Swallow Hill given its strong roots in the community, incredible commitment to music, and the values of the organization,” Sara said.
“I have been privileged to work with amazing individuals and nonprofits in the community,” she continued, “specifically within education and health, so the development role at Swallow Hill is well-suited for me. My goal is to successfully integrate myself into the development work at Swallow Hill, support under-resourced communities, and spread the joy of music.”
Sara joins Swallow Hill at a time where her expertise will help grow and sustain programs like our Little Swallows early childhood education classes, which brought high quality music instruction to 1,900 students in 12 metro area schools this fall.
“Sara is coming to Swallow Hill at a time when we are truly making a difference in our under-resourced communities through our Little Swallow early childhood education program,” Swallow Hill CEO Paul Lhevine said. “Her leadership is extremely well-suited to tapping into the passion our community has for music and education.”
Prior to Education Pioneers Sara spent over a decade focused on development work at STRIVE Preparatory Schools and College Summit – Colorado, where she provided strategic leadership and direction for major gift fundraising and successfully managed to raise over $18M.
Sara began her career with the Minnesota Department of Health where she focused on policy issues related to health, education, and socioeconomic determinants of health. She has a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse (Health Education and Health Promotion) and a master’s degree from St. Catherine’s University (Holistic Health).
Please join us in welcoming Sara to Swallow Hill!