Sara De Ritter will oversee the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service’s co-curricular service programs.
George Washington’s Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service has named Sara De Ritter as its new director of community service.
Ms. De Ritter will oversee the center’s co-curricular service programs, including the Neighbors Project, D.C. Reads, and Alternative Breaks; develop service leadership among students; and strengthen the community impact of service.
“Sara brings robust experience, outstanding skills and a passionate commitment to the civic mission of higher education,” said Executive Director Amy Cohen. “She will join us to lead the programs that are at the foundation of the student service experience at GW. We are looking forward to expanding and strengthening our impact.”
Prior to GW, Ms. De Ritter served as the associate director for service and community partnerships at Northeastern University’s Center of Community Service. She said she is “very excited” to join the university community and help expand GW’s already strong tradition of service.
“When working in civic engagement and public service, there is no better place to be than in the nation’s capital,” said Ms. De Ritter. “When I spoke with Amy and the staff, I realized how committed the institution was to being engaged and getting more students, faculty and staff to be a part of the greater community. I’d love to help GW evolve to next level and become a leader and model for civic engagement in higher education.”
Community service offers university members “real-life experience” that will enhance classroom learning as well as GW’s academic mission, said Ms. De Ritter.
“Everyone is a member of a community, so it’s really important to understand where you’re working and studying,” she said. “We can’t keep ourselves in a bubble; we have to be out there experiencing everything our community and world has to offer.”