Sarah Bartlett

Sarah Bartlett is an American journalist and academic who served as the dean of The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York until June 2022. She was a founding faculty member of the school, established in 2006. During her tenure as dean, Bartlett was instrumental in launching the United States' first graduate journalism program in Spanish and a Master of Arts program focused on social journalism. In 2018, the school was renamed in honor of Craig Newmark following his significant financial contribution.

Bartlett's career began in journalism with a London-based documentary film company, followed by roles as a business reporter for Fortune and The New York Times, where she covered the banking and financial sectors. She also held positions at Business Week and Inc. magazine, and was editor-in-chief of Oxygen Media. She authored "The Money Machine: How KKR Manufactured Power & Profits" in 1991, which examined the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and its use of leveraged buyouts. Bartlett joined CUNY in 2002 and, prior to becoming dean, developed academic concentrations and co-founded a center focused on community and ethnic media.

Sarah Bartlett's professional journey commenced in journalism as a research assistant for a documentary film company based in London. She subsequently transitioned to business reporting, contributing to prominent publications such as Fortune magazine and The New York Times, where she focused on the banking and financial services industry. Her experience also includes serving as an assistant managing editor at Business Week and a contributing editor for Inc. magazine. In 1991, Bartlett published her book, "The Money Machine: How KKR Manufactured Power & Profits." This work delved into the operations of the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, detailing its pioneering role in leveraged buyout transactions, often utilizing capital from public pension funds.

Bartlett joined the City University of New York (CUNY) in 2002, initially holding the Bloomberg Chair of Business Journalism at Baruch College. Upon the establishment of CUNY's graduate journalism school, she became a charter faculty member. In this capacity, she was involved in developing specialized concentrations in Urban Reporting and Business and Economics Reporting, and co-founded the Center for Community and Ethnic Media. She also hosted "U$A Inc.", a CUNY TV program discussing business issues. Bartlett assumed the role of dean in 2014. Under her leadership, the school introduced a Master's program in social journalism, emphasizing audience engagement and community-centered reporting, and launched a Spanish language journalism concentration to prepare bilingual journalists for covering Hispanic communities.

In June 2018, the journalism school at CUNY was renamed The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism following a substantial $20 million gift from Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist. This donation was intended to support the school's mission of fostering journalism and providing opportunities for aspiring journalists. The decision to rename the institution was reportedly made after discussions between Dean Bartlett, Newmark, and Jeff Jarvis. While the renaming was recognized as a significant development for the school, it also sparked some controversy among alumni, partly due to craigslist's perceived impact on the newspaper industry. Dean Bartlett addressed these concerns, stating that the name change was in recognition of its potential for transformative impact on the school.

Sarah Bartlett was married to John L. Petrarca, an architect based in Manhattan, until his passing in 2003 from lung cancer. Together, they co-authored the book "Schools of Ground Zero: Early Lessons Learned in Children’s Environmental Health." Following her husband's death, Bartlett shared her experiences navigating the complexities of widowhood and managing the estate of a small-business CEO in an article published in Inc. magazine.