Sarah J. Tracy, Ph.D., is an award-winning researcher, professor, author, speaker, and consultant who focuses on fostering human flourishing. Her mission is to help others craft award-winning scholarship, produce preferred outcomes in their organizations, tell persuasive stories, and better elucidate human experience so as to create interactional patterns that build sustainable relationships and organizational flourishing. 

Sarah has delivered over 75 keynotes and workshops worldwide for a variety of universities and organizations including Honeywell, Metropolitan Association of Business Executives, and City of Phoenix. Her work inspires communication that builds resilience in the face of organizational disruption and stress. Furthermore, Sarah regularly serves as a media resource—on topics such as workplace bullying, toxic positivity, and work-life balance—contributing to outlets such as National Public Radio, The Today Show, The Phoenix Business Journal, and The Arizona Republic.

Sarah has authored two books—Leading Organizations Through Transition and Qualitative Research Methods–and over 100 journal articles and book chapters (citation analytics available via Google Scholar). Sarah’s leadership in the communication field is recognized by her being named in 2020 as a National Communication Association Distinguished Scholar. She is the founder of the YouTube channel Get Your Qual On, provides qualitative workshops training, and consults with organizations seeking to better understand and narrate their clients’ and employees’ experiences. She regularly teaches and leads workshops on topics such as leadership, organizational wellbeing, and resilience.

Originally from Wisconsin, Sarah studied journalism at the University of Southern California (B.A., 1993) and then worked in a Los Angeles public relations firm serving socially responsible clients. She went on to earn an M.A. (1996) and Ph.D. (2000) from the University of Colorado-Boulder where she engaged in ethnographic research with front-line professionals. She has been a professor at Arizona State University since 2000 where she directs The Transformation Project and teaches courses in organizational communication, happiness, leadership, and research methods.

In her leisure time, Sarah loves to practice yoga, travel with her family and friends, volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, listen to audiobooks, and play frisbee with her rescue dog Lily.

Areas of expertise:

  • Communication
  • Qualitative Research Methods (Design, Conduct, Analysis, Reports)
  • Leadership
  • Happiness & Human flourishing
  • Organizational Transformation