March 22 - Sarah Scarbrough at the Richmond Police Training Academy

SARAH SCARBROUGH

“Applying Street Savvy To Real Life”

Dr. Sarah Scarbrough really knows how to step outside her comfort zone. She does it every time she steps into the Richmond city jail and greets the 120 inmates she is there to help.

As director of internal programs at the jail, her mission is to ensure that the folks being released at the end of their sentence have a successful reentry into the community and break the cycle of recidivism. She oversees staff, develops programs and works one-on-one with inmates who all seem to know her name. They stand up and clap when she enters the room.

Her goal is to help inmates redirect the intelligence and savvy they've developed on the streets toward legal endeavors. "If they just use the intelligence that they have and their business savvy from the streets," she says, "who knows what they can do in a legal manner?"

Sarah’s career seems to have expanded her comfort zone with each new step. It has taken her from managing a traditional non-profit, to a stint as the director of the Executive Mansion under Gov. Bob McDonnell, to her current job at the jail. She grew up in a law enforcement family and holds a master's degree in the field and a doctorate in public policy from Virginia Commonwealth University.

The Richmond Police Training Academy

Continuing our commitment to introducing encorepreneurs to parts of Richmond they may not have seen before, our March breakfast will be at the Richmond Police Training Academy. We even plan to take some of our attendees outside their comfort zones and visit the MILO "use of force simulator" at the facility.

Situated on the campus of Virginia Union University, the Richmond Police Training Academy provides high quality training for police recruits, veteran sworn personnel, and civilian employees, Instruction offered by Academy staff includes basic recruit training, firearms training, and computer training. The facility also has a museum that tells the story of the Richmond Police.