Sarah Hay

Sarah Hay (she/her) is an interdisciplinary designer and researcher living on the unceded territories of xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Her practice involves leveraging and blending design-led research and participatory design methods to engage with communities on matters that are relevant to our current cultural moment.

Sarah recently joined the BC Public Sector as a service design lead on an agile team that is guiding and facilitating a cross-government effort to accommodate Indigenous language names across systems and services, including identity records and signage. This work involves mapping system and service dependencies across ministries and jurisdictions, developing technical and policy guidance, and consulting with Indigenous Peoples to understand service priorities and co-develop solutions.

Prior to joining the BC Public Service, Sarah spent the last 10-plus years as the founder and lead designer of Slow & Steady Design and as a part-time instructor at Emily Carr University and Simon Fraser University teaching courses on sustainable design, civic engagement and professional practice. 

She continues to be an active member and co-director of the Vancouver Design Nerds Society, a network of collaborating artists and designers founded in 2004 whose mission is to facilitate, promote and create opportunities for generative dialogue, co-creation and community building.

Sarah holds a master’s degree in applied arts in design from Emily Carr University and a bachelor of industrial design from Carleton University.