Sarah Hayes

Director of Innovation and Workforce Development

Sarah Hayes

Sarah Hayes is the Director of Innovation and Workforce Development at the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), where she manages a portfolio of programs supporting CCI's innovation/commercialization and workforce development mission lines.1 2 3 5 6 7 Her role ensures that the Commonwealth of Virginia remains a global center of excellence in cybersecurity research and education.3 5 6

Background

Sarah joined CCI in 2018 after running her own Program Management Consulting Firm for Cybersecurity Start-Ups for two years.4
Prior to that, she did program management consulting for federal clients around the Washington, DC metro area, supporting projects ranging from human capital strategy, business process development and reengineering, to Project Management Office development and support.4
She has also supported federal, commercial, and start-up clients in projects ranging from cybersecurity resilience assessments, human capital strategy, business process development and reengineering, and managed security services.1 5

Education

Sarah graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. in international studies and an M.A. in political science.2 3 5
She earned an M.B.A. from James Madison University.2 3 5
She holds an active Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.2 3

Personal Interests

Sarah is a double Hokie alum and enjoys Hokie Football in the fall.2
In her free time, she likes to watch British, baking, and whodunnit shows, cheesy Hallmark movies, or curl up with a good mystery novel.2
She is also a CrossFit L1 certified coach and coaches at her local CrossFit gym.5

Experience

Director of Innovation and Workforce Development at Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) (February 2023 - Present)

Portfolio Director at Virginia Tech (July 2020 - Present); Project Manager at Virginia Tech (September 2018 - July 2020); Project Management Consultant (Self-employed) (January 2017 - September 2018); Deputy Project Manager at MissionSecure inc. (January 2017 - May 2017)

Education

M.B.A., Business Administration from James Madison University - College of Business (2011 - 2013); M.A., Political Science from Virginia Tech (2007 - 2009); Bachelor's degree, International Relations and Affairs from Virginia Tech (2001 - 2005)