Meet Sarah Minczeski Delisle
Sarah Minczeski Delisle is a Bay Area native who lives in Belmont with her spouse, their three children, and their dog. Born in Oakland to artist parents, she grew up in public schools with an early appreciation for both the natural environment and the economic realities facing families.
Sarah attended UC Santa Barbara, graduating with degrees in Environmental Studies and Portuguese. In college, she took on leadership roles in the California Student Sustainability Coalition, helping organize students across UC campuses, supporting early campus carbon accounting work, and advancing funding pathways to upgrade infrastructure with more energy-efficient equipment and materials. A study abroad experience in Brazil deepened her understanding of global inequality and environmental challenges. While abroad, Sarah was awarded the Jeanie Anderson Memorial Fund grant, which reinforced her focus on the intersection of environment, policy, and public engagement.
A summer internship with Congresswoman Lois Capps launched Sarah’s career in public service and policy. She later worked on the Appropriations Committee with Congressman Pete Visclosky (whose district included her father’s hometown in Indiana) and, in 2006, campaigned in Indiana for Joe Donnelly in a congressional race that flipped the district.
After the election, Sarah joined the Center for Naval Analyses, where she supported senior military leaders on energy and environmental technologies as co-director of The Energy Conversation with the Hon. Mitzi Wertheim, and contributed to the landmark report National Security and the Threat of Climate Change with the Hon. Sherri Goodman. Her work drew on intelligence assessments underscoring how climate impacts can drive instability, displacement, and conflict.
Sarah then joined the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon, where she established a new team in the Readiness Division (OPNAV N45) focused on managing energy development around military installations and operating areas. She built deep experience in planning, permitting, and complex coordination across local, state, and federal levels; created and led the Task Force on Compatibility and Readiness Sustainment; and regularly briefed senior flag and general officers on energy preparedness and emerging threats.
While working full time at the Pentagon, Sarah married Daniel Delisle (a Belmont native who attended Carlmont High School), completed an MBA through the Naval Postgraduate School, and started her family. In 2014, she returned to California as Sustainability Director for Naval Air Systems Command and later served as National Sustainability Director, responsible for energy and environmental compliance across test and training areas spanning from Patuxent River, Maryland, to Southern California. She represented the Navy with the California Energy Commission, hosted envoys on the Navy’s test capabilities nationwide, and advanced procedures to account for climate impacts on readiness.
In 2020, Sarah moved from federal service to the clean energy startup Swell Energy as Vice President of Government Affairs, helping advance practical, forward-looking solutions such as virtual power plants and supporting communities facing deep energy inequity.
Across government and industry, Sarah’s work has centered on sustainability, energy policy, infrastructure, emerging technologies, and long-term strategic planning, helping organizations solve complex problems, manage resources responsibly, and make informed decisions with lasting consequences. Today, she brings that experience home to Belmont, focused on the issues that shape everyday life: public safety, infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, community facilities, sustainability, and long-term quality of life. She stays grounded locally by collaborating on community projects, spending weekends at school and sports activities, and supporting Belmont’s public schools and neighborhoods.
Experience
Public Service and Government Leadership
Sarah spent more than 20 years in public service and public-facing leadership roles, including work in Congress, federally funded research, the Pentagon, and senior defense institutions. She has managed complex issues, built new programs, and supported senior decision-makers on matters involving infrastructure, energy, resilience, and long-term planning.
Environmental and Clean Energy Expertise
From student environmental organizing to national sustainability leadership and clean energy startup work, Sarah’s career has consistently focused on climate resilience, energy policy, emerging technologies, and practical implementation. She has spent years translating science, policy, and innovation into action.
Community and Family Perspective
As a Belmont parent and active community member, Sarah understands the daily concerns residents face and the importance of having local leaders who listen carefully, ask good questions, and follow through.
Help Elect Sarah Delisle To Belmont City Council
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