Meet Sarah
A transformational leader who delivers tangible results
With over twenty years of executive leadership experience in local government and the private sector, Sarah Aghassi stands at the forefront of innovative culture transformation. As the first immigrant and person of Middle Eastern descent to lead the fifth largest county government in the nation, she has not only successfully navigated complex challenges into opportunities but has also inspired others to break barriers and pursue their ambitions.
​Sarah’s change management skills have brought about more efficient and nimble operations in county government, resulting in resilient partnerships between government entities, businesses, and NGOs. She believes that leaders should be strategic visionaries, combining innovative thinking with practical principles to build effective programs and services.​​​​
Her achievements span critical areas such as healthcare, land use, environmental management, and public safety. Sarah has successfully influenced policy and advanced legislative agendas for public and private sectors at federal, state, and local levels, establishing robust relationships with key stakeholders, including legislators and industry leaders. Her ability to navigate complex political landscapes allows her to focus on compelling messages that advance organizational goals.
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In founding PersicaSage Consulting, Sarah aims to guide a diverse array of clients through the complexities of project and personnel management, business development, and government affairs strategy. She helps organizations reimagine and redesign their structures, processes, and cultures to enhance performance and achieve strategic objectives. By engaging stakeholders from the outset, Sarah fosters collaboration, mentors for leadership success, and creates shared visions that ensure the seamless implementation of strategies.
Prior to launching PersicaSage, Sarah served the County of San Diego for nearly two decades, including a pivotal role as Interim Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) during a time of significant transition. She implemented new Board policy directions, ensured operational continuity, and laid the groundwork for a successful transition to a new CAO. Leading 15 direct reports and over 20,000 team members across more than 40 departments, she managed an operational budget of $8.5 billion.
Sarah served as the Interim CAO to give the Board of Supervisors time to conduct their recruitment process for the permanent CAO. She did so knowing the Interim CAO would not compete or be chosen for the premanent role and thus, she was not a candidate for the permanent role. Sarah proactively decided to pursue the Interim CAO role, allowing her the opportunity to establish an independent practice at the conclusion of her public service as the Interim CAO.​​​​
Throughout her County career, Sarah fostered a culture of continuous improvement and innovation by implementing systems for effective communication and collaboration across 40+ departments and with stakeholders. She has a proven track record for leading, mentoring, inspiring, and motivating enterprise-wide teams to embrace change and achieve greater heights.
She created and executed enterprise-wide programs and projects, including a teleworking plan that led to 62% of County staff on remote schedules, reducing employee vehicle miles by 36.49 million in 2022 and avoiding a $250M cost avoidance for a public health building. Her demonstrated success includes complex organizational restructuring efforts, transforming a County department into an independent regional agency, unifying public health programs, streamlining the land development process, and centralizing fiscal operations of a department with a $600M+ operational budget.​​​​​
​​​​With extensive policy experience, Sarah has led advocacy initiatives at all levels of government. Before joining the County, she served as Director of Public Policy at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, advocating for the region’s diverse business community and driving economic growth.
Sarah earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in International Relations with minors in Business Administration and Philosophy from the University of San Diego. Go Toreros!
Sarah grew up in San Diego and cherishes her time traveling, photographing, and enjoying life with family and friends, including her sweet and sassy dog, Saffron.​​
