| Allie D’Amanda Sacks ’03 has experienced Harley as a student, a parent, and a member of the Board of Trustees. Though those roles differ, what strikes her most is how consistent the school’s values have remained.
“As a student, I felt deeply known,” she says. Teachers noticed not just how she performed, but how she thought—encouraging curiosity and creativity. Compliance was never the goal. “At Harley, education isn’t something done to you—it’s something you steward. It’s a community that grows with you.”
Returning as a parent in 2017, she immediately felt that same sense of belonging and intellectual respect for her children, Jake (now 12) and Emma (now 9). Seeing the school through a parent’s lens only strengthened her belief that Harley truly educates the whole child. “If anything, that commitment feels even stronger now, especially when it comes to social-emotional learning.”
Serving on the Board (from 2021-to present) added another layer to her relationship. From that vantage point, Allie has gained a deeper appreciation for the intentionality behind every decision—the long-term thinking, the care, the humanity. She laughs remembering how long it took her to call former teachers by their first names. “It wasn’t fear—it was deference. There’s a deep respect there.” Seeing teachers as thoughtful professionals only strengthened her connection to the school.
Harley is also where she learned to accept feedback and reflect honestly on herself—skills that would shape her career in unexpected ways.
After graduating from Harley, Allie attended Bucknell University (‘07) as an English major with plans to become a teacher. She pursued certification, driven by her love of language and storytelling. But while delivering a lesson during her training, she realized something important: she wasn’t ready. “I couldn’t live up to the models I had learned from,” she says. Having grown up with long-tenured teachers at Harley, she also felt that teaching required a level of commitment she wasn’t ready to make; she wanted to walk into a classroom knowing she could build lasting relationships with students, not worry that she might leave them too soon. The confidence she imagined wasn’t there—and she chose to pivot. Instead, she returned to the skills at the core of her English major—critical thinking, communication, and understanding people—and used them to craft a thoughtful plan for building a career over time.
Shortly after college, while working part-time in her father John D’Amanda’s ’75 office, she created a personal marketing plan—mapping out her strengths and a “career ladder” that would allow her to grow, make both lateral and vertical moves, and increase her value without constantly starting over. But what ultimately became the real safety net wasn’t the plan itself—it was the relationships she built along the way. By investing in trust and connection, she found that people wanted to see her succeed, much like the teachers at Harley who had always encouraged and invested in her growth.
In 2007, Allie joined M&T Bank through its Development Program. She started as a teller, spent nearly a decade in retail/business banking branch leadership, and eventually moved into commercial real estate finance. Along the way, she learned that banking is fundamentally about trust. “You have to do what’s right for the customer while balancing the risk appetite of the Bank,” she says.
After 16 years at M&T—where she served as a Commercial Real Estate Finance Relationship Manager and was named a 2021 Athena Young Professional Award finalist—she joined ESL Federal Credit Union in 2023 to deepen her impact on the local community. In the summer of 2025, Allie and her husband Evan, relocated their family back to Baltimore, MD. She was asked to rejoin M&T as Senior Vice President, Senior Relationship Manager Commercial Real Estate, working alongside colleagues she first partnered with 18 years prior.
Her career philosophy mirrors what she learned at Harley: build relationships horizontally, not just vertically. Careers, like communities, are interconnected—and growth comes from authenticity, humility, and the willingness to learn from mistakes. “Speaking up when you feel something is not right is okay. Showing the struggle is okay. You don’t run or hide from mistakes—you confront them head-on, uncomfortably, and allow yourself to grow from them.”
Recently, Allie and Emma stopped by Harley on their way back to Baltimore. When Emma stepped out of the car, she paused and said, “It feels like we are home.” What was meant to be a quick visit turned into three hours reconnecting with teachers and friends. They spent time visiting teachers, friends, and familiar faces, walking through spaces filled with memories. “Everyone at Harley genuinely cares for one another,” Allie says. “You walk in and immediately feel that you belong. That hasn’t changed.” |
