Sarah E. Brown is the Debt Manager for the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is responsible for debt issuance (roughly $500 million of outstanding obligations), continuing disclosure reporting, developing and executing the debt budget, and managing various city revenues. Prior to joining the City, Ms. Brown worked as a Debt and Compliance Analyst for the State of Minnesota at Minnesota Management and Budget, and as an estate tax auditor for the Minnesota Department of Revenue. Ms. Brown has over 10 years of state and local government experience.

Ms. Brown received a Master of Public Administration from Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, International Political Economy and Chinese from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Ms. Brown is a board member on the Women in Public Finance - Minnesota Chapter, the GFOA Capital Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee, serves on the Joint Debt Advisory Committee, and is an executive board member for the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association.

Three questions for Sarah:

What is the current or last book you read?

The last book I read was Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. For those interested, read along with the podcast on Spotify called Octavia’s Parables by Adrienne Maree Brown and Toshi Reagon.

Who is the person who influenced you the most in your life?

My mother. She taught me to fight for what I believe in, and that anything is possible with enough determination and hard work.

What is your favorite personal motto or quote?

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou