Sarah Pierce is the Director of Social Policy at Third Way, where she leads the organization's work on immigration and supports its efforts to build sustainable progress across the most divisive social issues in America. In this role, she develops and promotes pragmatic policies to help the United States harness the many benefits of a well-managed immigration system. A first-generation attorney and the descendant of working-class immigrants, she is driven by the belief that smart immigration policy is not only in the national interest but can transform lives—as it did for her own family. Sarah's experience spans Congress, the Executive Branch, think tanks, and private practice. Prior to joining Third Way, she was a Policy Analyst in the Humanitarian Affairs Division of the Office of Policy and Strategy at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, where her portfolio included asylum, the Safe Mobility Offices, and the T visa. She previously served as Senior Counsel for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, directing the Committee’s work on immigration and the border. Sarah has also held roles as a Policy Analyst at the Migration Policy Institute and as an immigration attorney in private practice. Her work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Reuters, and Rolling Stone, and she is frequently sought after for her clear, data and evidence-driven analysis. Sarah holds a JD from the University of Iowa College of Law, an MA from the Elliott School of International Affairs, and a BA from Grinnell College. She lives in Virginia with her husband, two children, and their dog. In her free time, Sarah designs seamless patterns for fabrics and wallpapers—with results that are, in her words, “charmingly mediocre.”