Her research and teaching interests are in the areas of public policy processes and environmental politics. In particular, she studies the strategies and tactics of environmental advocacy groups, including market-based tactics like shareholder activism. She is the author of Branching Out, Digging In: Environmental Advocacy and Agenda-setting (Georgetown University Press, 2006) as well as several articles on environmental policy processes. Before attending graduate school at the University of Washington, Sarah worked for Greenpeace USA as a fundraiser and activist. She has continued to be active in campus environmental groups as well as community groups in central New York.