We have exciting news ... Sarah Hamby has been selected as our new Director! Sarah joined OK Catalyst in 2019 and has been an indispensable part of the team since day one. Please join us in welcoming Sarah in her new role!
Prior to joining OK Catalyst, Sarah served for ten years on active duty with the U.S. Air Force and three additional years with the New York Air National Guard. As a Command and Control Battle Manager, Sarah deployed in support of various contingency operations to include, IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, and ENDURING FREEDOM. Sarah’s active-duty career culminated at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma where she served as Flight Chief of Operations Training for the 552d Air Control Group. During this time, Sarah worked directly for Air Combat Command’s Higher Headquarters to oversee mission qualification requirements of 250 personnel. Sarah graduated from the State University of New York with a BS in Business Management and Economics and earned an MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises from The Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, New York.
Since joining the team, Sarah led the 2020 rebrand of OK Catalyst, brought together hundreds of entrepreneurs at events such as SBIR Week and Tinker Innovation Day, created and led our NASA SBIR Accelerator that resulted in a historic improvement in NASA SBIR awards, and has been integrally involved in every other OK Catalyst effort. Sarah replaces founding Director Daniel Moses, who will be leaving in August to attend Harvard Law School in the fall.
A message from Daniel:
Back in 2017, I was hired by the Tom Love Innovation Hub to launch a series of programs focused on improving SBIR/STTR performance in Oklahoma. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but I was excited for an opportunity to make a tangible, meaningful difference in my community by equipping innovators with startup funding. I had no idea how difficult this task would prove to be. But now, I can confidently say that we have set a new standard for SBIR/STTR support, and I am excited to see Sarah and the rest of the team take OK Catalyst to new heights after I leave.
I owe a ton of thanks to all of you, without you and the ways that we’ve worked together OK Catalyst would have no success to speak of. I owe an even bigger thanks to all the students and professionals who worked alongside me in this effort. Like all worthwhile pursuits, OK Catalyst wouldn’t be where it is today without the tremendous effort of a small group of dedicated people.
While I am incredibly excited for this next chapter, my departure is bittersweet. Oklahoma will always be home. Consider this a “See ya later” rather than a “goodbye.” I remain passionate about economic development and technology development, and I would love to buy you a coffee if you find yourself in the Boston area in the next three years. Until next time!