Biographies

Born in Costa Rica and having lived in Honduras before moving to the United States, Sarah had a view of the world that included diverse cultures and humanitarian needs. From an early age, she accompanied her mother delivering food, helping those requiring service. This continued throughout her teenage years, the hope and dream of providing assistance to mankind a dream. Today, after decades in the technology industry, with the support of her husband, best friend and co-founder, Sarah is leading the efforts to transform the lives of youth.

Roger Gerdes

Director

Roger was born Rogerio Juan Valdez in Colorado, his Spanish-American heritage providing him a firsthand experience of overcoming obstacles and prejudices to be the first in his family to attend university. After graduate school realized and an esteemed career in technology, Roger’s dream was shared with Sarah: to help youth on a global scale. As a director, Roger’s talents for finance, operations and technology, always with a keen eye to scale is vital to the implementation of our work.

Liz Sandifer

Director

Passionate and professional, Liz’s career in developing paradigm-shifting aerospace software created in her a visionary mindset, blending technical expertise with a deep commitment to impactful change. Philanthropy meets technology as Liz’s eye towards operational efficiencies, people, processes and tools have been instrumental in helping form the Gerdes Foundation initiatives. As our work extends beyond borders, countries and cultures, her unique, global perspective will fortify our efforts.