Sara Blewett McNamara, MSOD

Sara Blewett McNamara, MSOD, is an organization development practitioner and coach with deep expertise in military transition and veteran employment. Her unique perspective is informed by twenty-five years of corporate experience, fifteen years as a military spouse, and seven years dedicated to solving the fear service members experienced while transitioning out of the uniform.

She is the Founder and Principal of Transition Strategies Consulting. Her mission is to improve the effectiveness of veterans programs through consulting services with employers, veteran-serving non-profits, academic institutions, and community service organizations. Her recent consulting clients include Amazon Global Military Recruiting, Washington State University (WSU) Carson School of Business, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association (USNA), and MedTechVets.

Previously, she was the Director of Corporate Education at the COMMIT Foundation, where she designed and delivered client engagements with PayPal, DraftKings, Fiserv, Tri-State Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOC), the State of Montana, and Morgan Stanley. Her work is personal; In 2016, she launched and led the DOD SkillBridge Program through Hiring Our Heroes for the United States Marine Corps. During the twelve-month pilot, she led three cohorts transitioning Marines and Sailors into meaningful careers post-service, an experience that continues to inspire her.

Sara is a 2019 Scholar of the G.W. Bush Presidential Institutes’ Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program.
She earned her master’s degree in Organization Development in 2018 from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business. Her published thesis explores the shift of personal agency for veterans in their military to civilian career transitions. Sara earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Diego State University.

Sara volunteers her time with Veterati, Candorful, and the Pepperdine MSOD Alumni Careers Committee. She hosts “Straight Talk” weekly group mentoring sessions with service members in transition. She lives in San Clemente, CA, where she enjoys beach bonfires and the everyday adventures of raising twin teenagers and their Golden Retriever.