Frances Sawyer leads Pleiades Strategy, where she advises mission-oriented organizations on strategic planning, policy design, program management, and partnership development.  An interdisciplinary thinker, Sawyer loves early stage ventures and projects designed to pull strategic levers that shift the way large, global systems function, thus creating better, more equitable outcomes for people and the planet. Sawyer formerly served as policy advisor to Tom Steyer during his presidential primary campaign and as Deputy Director of External Affairs to CA Governor Jerry Brown. She has also served as chief of staff to the Internet Archive and the healthcare start-up, Detect. Sawyer earned her masters at the Yale School of the Environment. Her favorite hobby is picnicking.