Sarah Karlinsky is the Research Director at the Terner Center where she leads the development of the center’s research agenda. Prior to joining the Terner Center, Sarah worked at SPUR, a leading Bay Area urban policy think tank, where she held numerous positions, including that of Deputy Director, Senior Advisor and Research Director. Sarah has published on a wide variety of topics including housing governance, middle-income housing, long-range planning for housing affordability, historic preservation and the intersection between disaster resilience and housing policy. As a land use and housing expert, she is a frequently sought out media contributor.

Prior to joining SPUR, Sarah developed affordable housing throughout the Bay Area with MidPen Housing, one of the largest nonprofit developers of affordable housing in the Bay Area. She began her career teaching urban planning to middle school students as a Teach for America corps member in Baltimore, Maryland. Sarah received her Master’s in Public Policy and Urban Planning from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in history from Columbia University. She serves on the Board of Piedmonters for Inclusive Education, a parent group supporting students with disabilities.