Sharon’s Journey
A Career Timeline: Sharon’s Journey to TOOMER STRATEGIES
Leadership for an Era That Demands More
We are navigating an era defined by compounding complexity, accelerating change, and institutions under unprecedented strain. Leaders who can see clearly in this environment possess something rare: the ability to recognize what others miss, hold both the forest and horizon in view, and lead with authenticity when the stakes are highest.
The Power of Range
My path was shaped by intentional and, at times, accidental moves across the most influential sectors. Foundational years in Atlanta laid the groundwork for core values rooted in journalism, strategic communications, politics, and local and state government, building a commitment to community engagement and mission-driven advocacy. New York City brought massive expansion across news media, philanthropy, and large municipal agencies in high-stakes environments. Washington, D.C. honed my leadership and deepened my work at the intersection of policy, national influence, and institutional strategy.
Through these experiences, I developed what clients describe as a defining strength: the ability to see what others miss. I recognize patterns across systems before they fully emerge, identify structural blind spots before they become crises, and observe from vantage points outside institutional constraints. This perspective charts clearer paths forward when the path itself is uncertain.
Late 1980s-1990s
Atlanta, Georgia
After undergraduate studies in English Literature at Spelman College
Early to mid-career: exploring, observing, and accelerated learning in a range of environments.
Journalism was the field of practice I chose to pursue, and it is where I began my career. It was a platform that fed my curiosity about the world and society, and it fulfilled my drive to document and communicate.
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During this period, I tested my entrepreneurial muscle and launched a thriving business, worked in an array of workplace environments, and formed lasting relationships with people from every socioeconomic, geographic and demographic background. This period taught me things that no formal curriculum could offer.
My stint serving food and pouring drink at the iconic Manuel’s Tavern was the singular experience that catapulted my career into politics and communications. Observing and relating to the community of politicians, political operatives and journalists that frequented Manuel’s schooled me in a real-world sense of how policy gets done and how organizational systems function.
That was the starting point for significant roles in local and statewide political campaigns, working as an aide for a city council president, and a coveted spot as a regular columnist in a local news and culture weekly. I worked in a range of political and institutional settings, where I saw how humans shape – for better or worse – the organizations in which they work.
My work and life experiences from this period came together to serve as a point of reference that I use to this day to compare in assessing new situations, no matter where I am positioned. That ‘point of reference’ is a distinct and enduring tool of a skilled generalist.
Landings
- Mary Margaret Oliver, Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of GeorgiaPress Secretary
- Marvin S. Arrington Sr, Candidate for Mayor of AtlantaPress Secretary & Campaign Aide
- Marvin S. Arrington Sr., Atlanta City Council PresidentAide
- Creative Loafing Alt-WeeklyColumnist
- Historic Manuel’s TavernServer
- Calvillo & Associates [U.S. Dept of Labor Contractor]Public Relations & Recruitment Coordinator for rural areas in eight southeast states (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN)
- Robert Greenleaf Foundation Servant-Leadership ConferenceSupport
- Junior League of AtlantaSupport for Leadership, Committees & Members
- Home Resources of Atlanta, Inc. (residential & commercial/post-construction cleaning service)Business Founder/Owner
- NBC News Bureau (Southeast Bureau)Weekend Assignment Desk Editor
- Gannett Broadcasting Group & WXIA-TV Station
- WPBA Public Broadcasting Station
1999-2015
New York City
Mid-career to senior level: Explosive career growth, skill sharpening and activation, leadership development, business founder, expanded network of relationships, with deepening insight into a range of workplace cultures, institutions and systems.
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I worked in journalism and media, higher education, municipal government, and at a labor union, and in 2006 I launched an award-winning digital platform for impact journalism. It was in this period that I firmly entered the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.
Landings
- Kings County District Attorney’s Office (Ken Thompson Administration)Director of Internal Communications
- CUNY Graduate School of Journalism/Charles Revson Political Reporting Fellow
- Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE)Interim Executive Director; Director of Communications & Membership
- Black & Brown News (BBN)Founder & Publisher
- City University of New York Faculty UnionCommunications Coordinator
- CNN/NYEditorial Producer for Headline News & Financial News
- Brooklyn Borough President’s OfficeCommunications Director & Press Secretary
- Columbia University Office of Public AffairsCommunications Consultant
- Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office (Charles “Joe” Hynes Administration)Deputy Director of Public Information
2016-Present
Washington, DC
Executive leadership and business founder: Era of leadership positioning; coaching and advising; with many successes and ‘teaching moments.’ The period when all proceeding career, workplace and life experiences converge to pair with wisdom, and that ultimately led to TOOMER STRATEGIES.
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Landings
- Toomer StrategiesFounder & Principal Consultant
- Hulu and Mass Appeal Media Feature Documentary‘Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told‘Consulting Producer
- Winthrop Rockefeller FoundationBoard of Directors; Audit Committee Chair; Governance and Finance Committees Member
- Athena Advisors IncuBetter Award2021 Recipient
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams Transition TeamCommunications Committee Member
- New Media VenturesInvestment Team Consultant
- Solutions Journalism NetworkDE&I Consultant
- The Chronicle of PhilanthropyLeadership Advisor on DE&I Strategy
- Rockwood Leadership Institute“Art of Leadership” Alumnae
- National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)Executive Director
- Matlock Advertising & Public RelationsSenior Vice President, Public Affairs & Policy
- U.S. Representative Franklin GarciaChief of Staff & Senior Policy Advisor (DC Statehood Project)
Skill Set Snapshot
Executive Leadership & Governance
Strategic leadership as Executive Director, Senior VP, Chief of Staff, and Founder across mission-driven, public influence, and policy environments
Philanthropic foundation board governance and Audit Committee leadership
Change management and leadership transitions
Communications & Reputation
Public affairs: messaging, crisis management, and media engagement (including on-record and background spokesperson roles)
Communications audits and institutional assessment
Media training and content strategy
Technical support for philanthropic foundations and nonprofit grantee partners
Operations, Culture & Insight
Organizational infrastructure: strategy, finance, budget, and talent
Strategic foresight: Recognizing patterns across systems and identifying blind spots before they become crises, cultivated through decades of cross-sector observation
Nuanced observation and judgment: hearing what is said and what is not said, with a forest and horizon viewpoint
Technology & Innovation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies: Continuous professional development in AI preparedness, application, and responsible and ethical use (CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, Google, 2025)
Adaptable to emerging platforms and organizational systems
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