Sarah Taft Jones

Season 1 - Episode 3

Sarah Taft Jones has demonstrated moxie throughout her life. The great-granddaughter of the 27th President, William Howard Taft, she grew up in a multi-generational family of lawyers and public servants. She became the first woman in her family to follow in those footsteps.

Sarah attended Columbia Law School during the equal rights era and was influenced by the movement. She used her moxie to explore possible career moves and advises listeners to do the same–research, prepare, and experiment until they find the right fit. She found her career fit as a public defender in the Manhattan Criminal Defense Office’s Legal Aid Society, rising to the attorney in charge of an office of 250 employees. She also taught at New York Law School for almost 20 years.

Throughout her career and in her current volunteer roles she pays back and forwards the mentoring she received from others throughout her life. For the past 15 years, she has been the coach of the Stissing Mountain High School’s New York State High School Mock Trial Program and gives as much to her student “lawyers” as they give to her.

She is ardent in her belief in civics and local politics and their role in shaping national politics and has served in public office in her town for decades. Currently, she is a member of the Town Board of Pine Plains, NY.