Harriot College Alumni Profile: Sarah Searcy
ECU 2023 “40 Under Forty” Leadership Recipient
Ms. Sarah Elizabeth Searcy (B.A. Anthropology ’09; B.A. Art ’09; M.A. Sociology ’12), who lives in Raleigh, NC, is one of ECU’s 2023 “40 Under Forty” Leadership Awardees and a Harriot College alumnus.
“I feel honored to be recognized among an amazing group of fellow Pirates,” Searcy said. “I am so grateful for my teachers, mentors and friends at East Carolina University, and the incredible training and education provided by the Honors College, School of Art and Design, Department of Anthropology and Department of Sociology.”
Searcy’s #HarriotCollegeMajor is helping her #MakeAMajorDifference for the environment and in the lives of the public as Deputy Director for Innovations and Data for the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Integrated Mobility Division (IMD).
“By supporting public transit systems, planning bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and preparing for the future of transportation, IMD strives to ensure everyone in North Carolina has equal access to jobs, healthcare, education, and other opportunities and services,” she said.
Within her role, Searcy directs projects and programs that improve shared mobility options and promote transportation systems that work for everyone. She also manages the Connected Autonomous Shuttle Supporting Innovation (CASSI) program for the NCDOT.
“Through the CASSI program, we are exploring how shared autonomous vehicles can be a safe, reliable and useful public transit option in North Carolina,” Searcy said. “By piloting applicable use cases for shared autonomous vehicles in partnership with companies and communities across the state, we are evaluating vehicles and service options that are beneficial to the public.”
Searcy said she enjoys serving the people of North Carolina by helping to advance safe, equitable and innovative transportation, including walking, biking and public transit.
“I enjoy helping shape the future of mobility – a future where shared mobility options are as convenient, reliable, affordable and safe as driving,” she said. “I enjoy building partnerships across the public, private and academic sectors and working as a team towards a common vision.”
As a student at ECU, Searcy said her education provided a time for exploration and discovery and gave her the skills to succeed in her career.
“My teachers and mentors encouraged and supported me to take classes in many different areas and to follow where my curiosity led me. I completed Undergraduate Research Assistantships in art philosophy, religious studies and ethnomusicology. I interned with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and helped with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. I concentrated on painting and drawing and cultural anthropology for my degree.
“By the time I entered graduate school, I knew I was a researcher at heart and focused on understanding people’s values, needs and priorities. I use the creative and research skills that I developed at ECU every day in my career to investigate emerging mobility trends and challenges before identifying, piloting and implementing solutions,” she said.
Although Searcy attended ECU, few people know she was accepted into another institution for electrical engineering. She said she chose ECU because of the welcoming and talented art and design faculty that she met at portfolio day and the opportunity to join the EC Scholars Program.
Connect with Searcy on LinkedIn.
Read more about ECU’s “40 Under Forty” awards. The awards will transition to a biennial celebration, with the next iteration honoring the recipients of 2025.