When I join my call with Clinton Global Initiative’s Sarah Barton, it’s almost the end of Women’s History Month, a time when women’s contributions to society are highlighted and celebrated. However, it doesn’t take long into the interview to realize that for Barton, that work is never over — which is a good thing, considering how passionate she is about it. As the director of Women & Girls’ Equality at the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), Barton is dedicated to advocating for women worldwide, year-round.
Barton’s journey in politics and advocacy was kicked off by one woman in particular: her mother. “I was mostly raised by my mom, who’s a single mom, who’s very civic minded,” Barton tells Her Campus. “She was a public school teacher and really instilled a lot of passion for social justice, social impact, and working in the ways that we can to help the world.”
Barton also believes her education — she majored in history and journalism at NYU, then got her master’s in global politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science — was a key component in leading to her dream job. She’s particularly thankful for the interviewing and reporting skills she learned in her journalism classes. “One of the most valuable things I learned — I didn’t like doing it — but it was really valuable learning how to have uncomfortable conversations,” she says. “It’s so intimidating at first, walking up to a stranger and asking them a question, but being able to do that really helped me throughout my career.”
Barton says her journalism background has especially helped her handle interactions with high-profile people, which are frequent in her line of work. “I think had I not been prepared to have those conversations, [I may have felt] intimidated by those interactions,” she says. “It prepared me to feel more calm and more equipped to navigate some of those experiences.”
The majority of Barton’s 20 years of work experience have been with the Clinton Foundation in one way or another, starting with an internship her junior year of college. “Over the past 20 years, I’ve been fortunate to spend a lot of my career in the Clinton Foundation,” Barton says. “I spent several years working on our U.S. economic recovery platform through CGI. … I worked on international development, disaster work, and some of our veterans’ work. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of different phases of the foundation’s growth.”
In between her stints at the Clinton Foundation, Barton has served as the director of program development for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, worked on a global social action campaign in association with the documentary He Named Me Malala, and was on the presidential campaign teams for Hillary Clinton (2008) and Michael Bloomberg (2020). She returned to CGI in October 2023 to take on her current role.
These days, Barton’s responsibilities within CGI’s Women & Girls pillar are vast and varied. One day, she might be working on a program to expand access to credit for women in low-income and rural areas. The next, she might be meeting with the White House to talk about helping women in areas affected by climate change. After that, she might facilitate a conversation about women and addiction.
“It runs the gamut,” Barton says of her day-to-day work. But what stays consistent is her enthusiasm. “I love learning about the work that people are doing. I’m definitely an information nerd.”
In this role, Barton has a front-row seat to some of the biggest challenges Gen-Z women face as they enter the workforce. “To be frank, the data is not great,” she says. “There are some bright spots, but there are a lot of challenges that women face. There’s been an increase — although it’s not been nearly big enough or fast enough — in women assuming leadership positions in organizations. There’s wage and job growth stagnation before you even get to that leadership position. And a lot of [the reasoning behind this] is sexist.”
But Barton still has high hopes for Gen Z. She cites “fearlessness, dedication, and passion” as the characteristics she sees in the Gen Z women and girls she interacts with through her work with CGI. “They bring big ideas to the table and they advocate both for themselves and our communities,” she says. “Women in Gen Z, I think, are really showing up.”
No matter what your dream job is, Barton emphasizes the importance of speaking up. “I’d say my biggest piece of advice is to be a part of the conversation,” she says. “When you have ideas, whether they’re opportunities or challenges, raise your hand and voice.” And when it comes to negotiating your salary? “Don’t be afraid to ask for what you think you’re worth. Men always ask; women should ask too.”