Sally Rood, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Analyst for Economic Development
National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices
Washington, DC
Sally Rood serves as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Economic Opportunity Division of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices where she focuses on strategies for economic development, entrepreneurship and innovation, and workforce development; place-based initiatives; and use of data for policymaking.
Prior to NGA, she was a Senior Policy Analyst with SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute) where she managed projects evaluating state initiatives and STEM education programs. She also did strategic planning and designed programs for overseas research and education programs. Previously, she was Associate Director for NASA’s National Technology Transfer Center; Washington Representative for the Federal Laboratory Consortium; and Interim Executive Director for the National Academy of Sciences’ Federal Demonstration Partnership.
In addition to these positions, she has served as adjunct faculty for Virginia Tech. She has also consulted with diverse organizations including the National Association of Counties, the World Bank, and the Science and Technology Policy Institute. She is an elected Fellow of the Washington Academy of Sciences, and recipient of an Outstanding Service Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium. She holds a PhD in public administration and public affairs; an MA in science, technology and public policy; an MBA with a major in information technology; and a BS in management.
Sally originally hails from Virginia and Florida.