The Sagax Story

Established 2013

The Sagax Story

Sagax is an experienced consultancy providing economic recovery and resilience planning and guidance to entities of all sizes. Kirsten McGregor founded Sagax Associates in 2013 in Wilmington, DE providing consulting expertise nationwide and abroad. Today, she and her team of cross-sector specialists leverage decades of strategic planning and economic recovery expertise to manage complex initiatives both in the U.S. and abroad. Sagax is a US Small Business Administration certified Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business. Sagax and founder Kirsten McGregor were recently recognized by Forbes Magazine on their “Next 1000” startups to watch when Sagax began scaling out during the pandemic. We are a member of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.

What does Sagax Mean? SAG’-AX (adj.) Perceptive. Nimble. Bright. Discerning. Bringing keen insight to challenged communities for over 20 years. (Latin root for Sagacious)

What does the logo mean? The labyrinth mark design reflects Sagax’s expertise in helping disrupted communities successfully navigate crises and disasters. Hidden at the center of the mark is a figure loosely based on the universally-recognized symbol for female. This figure is a subtle nod to Sagax being a woman-owned business and alludes to the unique perspective to developing bold recovery and resilience plans. Positioned with open, uplifted arms, the figure suggests inclusion, positive momentum, and collaboration.

Resilience is not what you have, it is what you do.

Kirsten McGregor, Principal

Kirsten has held prominent roles as Senior Policy Advisor on President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, Deputy Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office, and Lead Economic Recovery Coordinator for New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy.

Kirsten founded Sagax Associates in 2013 and provides professional consultative services to clients surrounding economic development, recovery, and resilience.

Kirsten is a Senior Fellow at the University of Delaware Joseph Biden School of Public Policy’s Institute for Public Administration providing guidance for their Recover Delaware initiatives, and she is an advisor for UD’s Island Policy Lab.

Kirsten is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and is a member of NADO’s Research Foundation Advisory Committee. She is also a certified member of the Counselors of Real Estate.

Kirsten is a sought-after advisor on economic recovery and development. Among several recognitions, she was listed on Forbes Magazine “Next 1000” business to follow in 2021, and was and was voted as a leading woman in business in Delaware by Delaware Today magazine. She is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and has a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

The Sagax Core Team

Sagax is supported by a core team of dedicated professionals.

Samantha Clevenger is a senior at Saint Mary’s College of California and will graduate in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a concentration in Sustainability and Conservation. She is particularly interested in sustainable economic development. She is the President of the Economics Club at Saint Mary’s and has also worked on various research projects with one of her professors including The Economics of Capital City Relocations and Sustainable Real Estate. Her studies and extracurricular activities have provided her with an understanding of the challenges facing local and national economies due to climate change and resulting environmental challenges. Her long-term goal is to effect positive change toward sustainable development of economies on various scales. Her experience includes project management, problem solving, research, and promoting sustainability practices.

Cora Holland Haffner is the Administrative Director for Sagax Associates and joined our team May 2020. She organizes meetings, administrative documents, and ensures project deliverables and financials are documented and submitted in a timely fashion. An entrepreneur herself, she is Founder & Owner of Simplicity Virtual Administrative Solutions where she partners with entrepreneurs who want to present a more organized and polished image to their contacts and clients. Utilizing strong organizational and time management skills, she handles administrative tasks ranging from revising muddled legacy systems to acting as a gatekeeper, guarding her clients’ time for their priorities. Clients appreciate her attention to detail, discretion, and proactive problem solving. She is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College and has a master’s degree from Chestnut Hill College.

Sarah Beyers (Sustainability Consultant) recently joined Sagax Associates in January of 2022. Sarah obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Human Services and a minor in Political Science from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Through Psychology, Sarah learned about abnormal, social, developmental, and cultural psychology as well as the biology behind psychological processes. Through her Political Science minor, she focused on the U.S. political environment, with particular focus in intersectional policy that affects women and marginalized communities. Her focus at Sagax is public policy and sustainability with a focus on increasing food access and reducing food waste. Her skills include general and organizational psychology, community organization and outreach, team management and problem solving, sustainability practice and education in corporations and political psychology research.

Sydney DeCaro (Research & Business Development Consultant) joined Sagax Associates upon graduating from Elon University May of 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Ms. DeCaro studied abroad in Spain and was fully immersed in Spanish culture. She’s worked on several research projects including workplace burnout and persons with disabilities. Sydney has been continuing her education at Columbia University pursuing her Master’s in Psychology with a long-term goal of receiving her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Sydney is passionate about the vigorous processes and evidence-based interventions that result from research. As a Research Consultant for Sagax, Sydney works on a variety of tasks including team communication, client outreach, research, grant writing, data analysis/visualization, and business development. She has been focused on building our resilience data dashboard and scorecard.

In addition to our dedicated core team, we have a cadre of experts including independent consultants, professors, and subcontractors from a variety of fields including:

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Foreign Direct Investment
Sustainability
Disaster Recovery
Emergency Response & Management
Hazard Mitigation

Geographic Information Systems
Data Visualization
Project-Based Marketing
Renewable Energy
Public Health
Spanish Interpretation & Translation
Tourism & Hospitality

Sagax Consortium Consulting

Sagax Consortium Consulting™ is a cost-effective consulting offering designed to drive collaboration and alignment across regions. When groups engage Sagax together, they accomplish goals more quickly, save valuable resources, and adopt sustainable and coordinated regional strategies. Explore Sagax Consortium Consulting at SagaxAssociates.com.

Building Clear Paths to Prosperity

Bringing Keen Insight to Challenged Communities

Perceptive. Nimble. Bright. Discerning.

The History of Sagax

Sagax Associates, LLC has served as an economic recovery and development consulting firm supporting governments, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, and businesses responding to and preparing for economic disruptions and disasters. We turn hard realities into once-in-a-generation moonshots.

The Sagax Resilience Mindset™

Sagax supports communities and regions with comprehensive services to successfully navigate toward a prosperous and equitable future guided by The Sagax Resilience Mindset™. Read more about our approach and all of our services below.

The Sagax Story

Established 2013

The Sagax Story

Resilience is not what you have, it is what you do.

Kirsten McGregor, Principal

The Sagax Core Team

In addition to our dedicated core team, we have a cadre of experts including independent consultants, professors, and subcontractors from a variety of fields including:

Sagax Consortium Consulting

Building Clear Paths to Prosperity

Bringing Keen Insight to Challenged Communities

Perceptive. Nimble. Bright. Discerning.

The History of Sagax

The Sagax Resilience Mindset™

Let’s Connect and Collaborate

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