Dr. Sarah Spradlin is an industrial-organizational psychologist with over 20 years experience training and coaching high-performing leaders across military, government, and corporate sectors. A United States Marine Corps veteran, she is a distinguished subject matter expert in Emotional Intelligence (EI) and scholar of human behavior in the workplace.
As the CEO of Vitruvian Advantage, Sarah serves as the Senior Emotional Intelligence (EI) Advisor and Coach for Naval Special Warfare and is a trusted guest lecturer at the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School for National Security & Resource Strategy, where she teaches the neuroscience of emotionally intelligent leadership. She has various publications, contributing thought leadership at the intersection of neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and organizational performance.
Known for creating immersive, evidence-based learning experiences, her academic engagements include graduate faculty roles at Central Michigan University and guest instruction at Tulane University, Georgetown University – Prospanica Program, Sam Houston State University, and Syracuse University’s Onward to Opportunity (O2O) Program.
She holds several professional affiliations, including:
· Deputy Chair of the Scholarship Committee for Women in Defense (WID) Greater Tampa Bay
· Member of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
· Member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
· Member of the Society of Emotional Intelligence (SOEI)
· President of the Society of Emotional Intelligence – Virginia Chapter (SOEIVA)
· Research presenter and member of the Emotional Intelligence Training and Research Institute (EITRI)
In recognition of her pioneering contributions to national security and human-centered innovation, Sarah was named among America’s Women in Special Operations at the 2024 American Valor Awards and was honored with the 2024 Service to the Citizen Award for her pivotal role in the design and development of TSA’s Passenger Experience Survey 2.0.
She resides in Tampa, Florida where she continues to shape the future of emotionally intelligent leadership across defense, academia, and beyond…while spending as much time as possible poolside watching F1 and cheering on the Bucs!
