Sarah Carlson

With experience gained at independent hospitals, academic medical centers, and a large integrated health system, Sarah leverages her knowledge of business planning and project management to assist Ascendient clients with their strategic planning needs.

A native of Charlottesville, Va., Sarah stayed in her hometown for college, earning a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia. Before going on for an MHA at Virginia Commonwealth University, she spent a year working at a rural hospital in South Carolina through the AmeriCorps VISTA program.

For seven years prior to joining Ascendient, Sarah worked at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, where her portfolio included strategic planning and business development initiatives such as surgical growth, primary care footprint, and the establishment of a 60-bed pediatric mental health hospital.

Today, Sarah thrives on the intellectual stimulation that comes with consulting. As clients wrestle with diverse challenges and opportunities, she enjoys using data insights to tell a story and inform decisions.

Sarah lives in Greenville, SC, with her husband and cockapoo. In her free time she enjoys needlepointing, traveling, exploring local cuisine, and trying to keep up with her husband on the golf course.

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2026 Final Four picks:

• Duke
• Penn
• Miami (FL)
• Michigan

Methodology: In the age of NIL deals and transfer portals, Sarah wanted to reimagine March Madness through the lens of the traditional student-athlete experience, using US News & World Report acceptance rates as a proxy for academic rigor. Admittedly, she was also looking for any quantitative framework that would give ACC teams a chance for glory (and the ACC does make up 3 of the Elite 8 slots in her bracket). Alas, it seems unlikely that Ivy League Penn will actually take the national title, despite what this model predicts.

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“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

– Thomas Jefferson