As a sergeant in the U.S. Army, serving both stateside and overseas, Sarah Taylor’s work included building partnerships between troops and community tribal leaders. It was in the dusty, rocky terrain of Afghanistan where she realized she wanted to continue that work by building up communities back home.
Although Taylor hails from Indiana, Detroit’s comeback story inspired her. So, after leaving the Army and graduating with a master’s in public affairs, she was selected as one of 30 Challenge Detroit Fellows to help give back to the city.
DTE was her sponsor, and after the one-year fellowship was complete, Taylor joined the utility’s public affairs office. That’s when everything—her military service, her love of community and her heart for giving back—all came together. “DTE has a big commitment to corporate citizenship and elevating the community in different ways,” she said.
Taylor saw an opportunity to support veterans both at the company and in the community. She launched the Detroit chapter of Team Red, White and Blue, a national veterans service organization, growing it locally from 40 members to over 400 in just two years. At work, she co-chaired a new veterans employee resource group to help drive veteran employment, transition and support.
Those experiences led to Taylor being chosen to represent DTE and female veterans at the state level as board chair for the Michigan Women Veterans Advisory Board, which advises the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency on issues specific to female veterans and builds awareness of available resources and services.
“I love representing veterans, and I love being a woman to represent veterans,” said Taylor. “We’re really working to empower women across the state to seek out the care they deserve and to ensure we are being accounted for and considered in some of the legislative decisions at the state level.”