Sarah Beckman

Sarah Beckman is Executive Director of Outside The Lens (OTL), a San Diego nonprofit media arts organization that engages 2,700+ young people annually—97% from systemically marginalized communities—to build creative confidence, explore career pathways, and drive social impact through storytelling.

A creative strategist and visual storyteller with 25 years of nonprofit leadership, Sarah has guided Outside The Lens from a grassroots organization into a recognized innovator in creative youth development and media literacy, partnering with institutions like The Getty Museum on Voice Out, a regional exhibition that amplifies the perspectives of young artists.

Sarah’s leadership philosophy is simple: create conditions for others to thrive. Whether expanding programs like Media Makers—which serves young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities—or securing catalyst funding for Balboa Park's Botanical Building during her tenure at Forever Balboa Park, she leads with curiosity and trust. She’s also the creative mind behind Culture & Cocktails at the San Diego Museum of Art and has presented at Public Lands Alliance and International Placemaking Week conferences.

A Minnesota native with degrees in Journalism and Gender & Women's Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Sarah was recently named a 2025 San Diego Magazine Nonprofit Pioneer. A writer and photographer who believes in magic, hustle, and flow, she lives in Rancho Peñasquitos with her husband and twin sons who attend Cal Poly.