Sarah Edmonds
DARING TO DREAM
Sarah Edmonds grew up in Washington, D.C. and is a sixth-generation Washingtonian. She’s spent much of her life in the district and its neighboring areas, surrounded by a big family — including her godmother whom she is named after.
For the last 20 years, Sarah has resided in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband. They met in middle school, reconnected at their high school reunion and the rest is history. When she’s not working, Sarah loves to read — her interests unconfined to a particular genre and she often finds herself reading up to five books at a time. Sarah also loves to cook. Many of her dishes have been featured in Multifamily employee newsletters, most notably her famous Mac and Cheese, which is her grandmother’s recipe.
Sarah graduated cum laude from Strayer University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Her time at Strayer comprised of night classes, as she worked full time during the entirety of her four years in school. Sarah’s career journey began at Gallaudet University, where she served as a community liaison focused on deaf education and awareness for six years. Utilizing her grandmother’s advice to learn how to type, Sarah sought out skills to become an administrative assistant and landed a position at Blake Construction. As she continued to grow her skillset, her work experience spanned to Howard University, Williams & Connolly LLP and Drinker Biddle (formerly Gardner, Carton & Douglas).
In 2010, Sarah joined Freddie Mac as a legal administrator in the Corporate Governance department. A year later, she saw an opportunity in the Multifamily division to be an administrator on the Targeted Affordable Housing (TAH) team. After four years with TAH, Sarah decided to expand her expertise. Fortunately, this timing coincided with the creation of the Multifamily Business Management department. Although the department did not have any openings applicable to Sarah’s administrative experience, she applied for the role anyways. She had learned from a seminar not to read a job description and count yourself out based on the idea of "can’t-dos” and rather frame as I can learn this. Sarah was offered the job and worked her way up to the position she presently holds as Business Management Lead.
Sarah and her husband, James
This past January, Sarah celebrated her 15-year anniversary with Freddie Mac. Below she shares what makes working at Freddie Mac so special and why she’s continued to work here for so much of her career.
What do you like most about working at Freddie Mac?
A: There are many great aspects of working at Freddie Mac. For starters, my team is incredible. We are a small but mighty group and always support one another. I really enjoy working with our Intern and Analyst College Hire Programs. I also appreciate that each day in my role is different, and I am constantly kept on my toes — figuring out challenges and putting pieces together like a puzzle. Much of what I do focuses on creating opportunities for current and prospective employees through trainings and community building. It's a pleasure working with my team to bring people together and support advancing Multifamily employee experiences.
Advice to others on bringing your "full self” to work?
A: I believe that bringing your "full self” to work starts with knowing who you are — which takes time to figure out. It can be challenging to feel comfortable doing this but bringing your full self helps foster meaningful relationships and the discovery of shared experiences.
What trait makes a great teammate or ally?
A: A great teammate and ally demonstrates openness and adaptability. It's okay to have your own opinions and viewpoints but don’t get stuck in them. As personnel changes, your team may start out one way but end up another. Also, the nature of our business changes depending on several factors so staying flexible allows one to adjust, which is important in seeing that goal met.
Looking back, what's one piece of advice you'd give your younger self?
A: I would tell myself that things will work out. When I was younger, I often worried about the future and got tied up thinking the worst. However, I hold close to my heart my godmother and grandmother — my inspirations who taught me how to dream and go beyond what people say you’re allowed to do. I think about them a lot as what they taught helps me get through tough times and trust that what's meant to happen, will — and that it always works out.
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