Sarah Topal

Sarah Topal, MSW, currently serves as the Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Ministry, beginning in June 2024. Previously, Sarah held multiple leadership roles at Concordance Academy of Leadership from February 2016 to June 2024, including Chief Quality Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Director of the Concordance Institute, where responsibilities included monitoring program fidelity, data collection for impact evaluation, participant engagement, and post-release service delivery interventions. Sarah also worked as a Social Worker II at the Illinois Department of Human Services from October 2016 to June 2017, providing trauma-informed case management and supportive counseling. Earlier experience includes serving as a Crisis Intervention Specialist at Chestnut Health Systems from April 2009 to September 2011. Sarah earned a Post-Masters Certificate in Program Evaluation in 2019 and a Master of Social Work focused on Mental Health and Criminal Justice Involved Adults in 2016, both from Washington University in St. Louis, along with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2013.