Sarah Cortell Vandersypen joined the United MSD Foundation as its Executive Director in February 2023. Sarah brings more than a decade of nonprofit, fundraising, and consulting experience to the Foundation. She is no stranger to the rare disease space. Most recently, she served as the Vice President of Development for HelpCureHD, a national nonprofit founded by a celebrity couple to cure Huntington’s disease one family at a time through in vitro fertilization.

In 2016, Sarah founded a consulting firm, Philanthropic Partners, to help nonprofit organizations build their philanthropic capacity. Her services focused on fund development, board development, strategic planning, and training and coaching. She enjoys building the confidence and skill of nonprofit leaders, and connecting donors with their philanthropic passions.

Sarah received her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2016. She holds a M.A. in Arts Policy and Administration from The Ohio State University and a B.A. in Art History from Boston University. She earned a Certificate of Nonprofit Board Consulting from BoardSource in 2019. Sarah is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals as a former global board member and certified facilitator. She lives outside of Baton Rouge with her husband, daughter, and cat.