Sarina Otaibi
Activate Rural Program Director at DoPT
Sarina Otaibi (she/her) is an Arab American rural cultural worker shaped by her 15 years of experience working in rural entrepreneurship, community development, building activation, and local government. As the Activate Rural Program Director at Department of Public Transformation (DoPT), she works with artists and community leaders to cultivate creative physical places of connection. Sarina is passionate about systemic change towards equitable access to capital resources for rural communities. In her home community of Granite Falls, MN, she served as an elected City Council Member and as the founding Board Chair of a creative taproom and gathering place, Bluenose Gopher Public House Cooperative, all while dreaming up and implementing creative projects and uses for her historic, renovated church building. Sarina holds a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a B.B.A. in marketing from Stetson University in Florida.