2025 Symposium Speakers

Sarah Maxwell is a dynamic community engagement specialist and public speaker committed to cultivating collaboration, connection, and lasting impact across PMI’s Chapter network. As PMI’s North America Chapter Engagement Supervisor since August 2024, Sarah leads with empathy and strategic insight—helping chapters thrive through meaningful relationships and shared purpose.

With a strong foundation in outreach and relationship building, Sarah previously supported four of PMI’s eight North America subregions as a Chapter Engagement Partner. Her approach combines big-picture thinking with hands-on partnership, empowering chapter leaders and volunteers to do their best work in service of their communities.

Sarah’s background is uniquely interdisciplinary—she holds a degree from George Mason University and brings experience in both theater and massage therapy, fueling her skill in connecting with people authentically. A natural communicator, she founded PMI’s internal Toastmasters Club and has represented PMI on global stages, including TED 2019, the 2023 PMI Africa Conference, and the Sub-Saharan Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM). Most recently, she earned her Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), further expanding herprofessional toolkit.

Outside of PMI, Sarah channels her love of performance and service into music. She sings with and serves on the board of Coro da Capo, a nonprofit a cappella choir that offers exceptional, free concerts rooted in vocal diversity and community access.

Alexander is an associate professor at Virginia Western Community College. He has received multiple awards in his teaching career for teaching excellence. He has had the pleasure of working in education, aviation, and business. His educational background is also in those three areas, with a B.A in Modern Languages and Literature, MBA in Marketing, Master's in teaching Spanish as a foreign/second language, Master's in Communication, Master's in Applied Linguistics to the teaching of Spanish, Aviation weather specialist, and Air Traffic control certificate.

Those experiences have provided him opportunities to work in private and public education and colleges with responsibilities as a Manager assistant, Weather aviation specialist, air traffic controller, EFL and ESL teacher (K-12, college and adult education), Spanish professor, Marketing and Public Speaking professor, Liberal Arts program head, and corporate trainer.

He has taught for more than 24 years, his passion since high school. He loves and enjoys creating students' competence in the target subject that could make them feel better about themselves and become lifelong learners. He strives to create an environment where his students enjoy and have a great educational experience