Sara Day Evans, founding Partner of Prosperity Collective, is an award-winning, innovative, sustainability program manager, social entrepreneur, Pollinator who for over 17 years has delivered outstanding results through strong leadership, creativity, and collaboration. In 2013, she launched the nation’s first “nature-based” business accelerator, Accelerating Appalachia, focusing of sustainable food, farming, forest products, fiber and clean energy. She has worked in Appalachia and the southeast in service to people and planet, and was awarded a presidential commendation for her work with the health and livelihood of women in Appalachia. Her expertise and passion are in reaching a broad and deep spectrum of community insight and knowledge to serve her community and business clients. She is equally skilled at leveraging funding and resources from the private and public sector to support community and business needs. She developed NC’s first Green Economy Resources Directory. SaraDay is degreed in Geology and Hydrogeology from the University of Kentucky and was the first undergraduate in the history of the University of Missouri’ to be accepted into their law school, where she studied Water Law. As manager of Kentucky’s solid waste planning program, she led the development of Kentucky’s first fund for solid waste management, which led to an 85% decrease in illegal dumping and a 25% increase in recycling. Sara Day first love is music and writing, and she is professional singer/songwriter/guitarist.

Additionally, Sara Day has:

• Advised over 100 businesses and communities in sustainability planning and resources
• Assisted in leveraging funds for Biowheels, Community Development Specialists, Green Brothers Solar, Caldwell Community College, Catawba/Alexander Green Building Council, and many more.
• Developed a WNC 10-county renewable energy demonstration with installation and training for youth in small wind and solar hot water in WNC’s most distressed counties.
• Leveraged over $10 million in state and federal funding for distressed WNC counties, developing local teams and action plans for implementation.
• Contributed to report, Inclusivity of the WNC Green Economy, with a commitment to ensuring women and minorities are included in the green economy
• Volunteer/funding advisor for urban gardens, including Burton Street Gardens, Ashvillage, Pisgah View Community Peace Garden and Pearson Gardens
• Co-produced Earth Day Asheville to benefit Asheville GreenWorks.

Earlier Years

For 10 years, Sara Day was Kentucky’s solid waste planning manager and for the three years prior, as a hydrogeologist, she developed Kentucky’s wellhead, source water protection program. During her tenure working in Kentucky’s environmental programs, supervising 22 staff and 120 counties, achieved:

• Commendation from President Bill Clinton and Kentucky Commission on Women for her work with women’s health and economic conditions in Kentucky’s Appalachian communities
• Outstanding Cabinet Employee awards (2002/2006) – Kentucky Environmental & Public Protection Cabinet
• An 85% reduction in illegal dumping and a 22% increase in recycling
• Facilitated collaboration between state, counties, municipalities, legislature and private sector, resulting in a historic and unprecedented $15 million annual solid waste fund for state and local governments in Kentucky.
• Over ten years’ experience in legislative testimony, public relations, public speaking, media interviews
• BS and MA coursework in Geology, Hydrogeology and Water Law from the University of Kentucky and the University of Missouri
• Upon petitioning, was the first undergraduate in the history of the University of Missouri accepted into the Water Law program.
• Pirtle Scholar and Environmental Protection Scholarship, University of Kentucky.