Sharon Reed is a blogger, author, advocate, speaker, entrepreneur, and innovative change-agent for good, with a passion for helping others find their authentic voice and realize their leadership potential.
Sharon serves as Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of the Global Girls ProjectTM, a not-for-profit storytelling platform that elevates the importance of character and core values in the global gender conversation. She also serves as program lead and facilitator for KPMG LLP-CREW Charlotte’s inaugural women’s leadership program, Becoming an Authentic Leader, modeled after the ATHENA International Leadership Model.
A former communications consultant and Global Community Champion for the United Nations (UN) Empower Women team, she served as co-architect of the award-winning social media campaign, #iamwoman, and later served as project lead and co-editor of the book, Voices of Change, released at UN Headquarters during the 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Shriver Report, Women in Foreign Policy, and UN Women, among others. She has also won numerous awards for her service, advocacy and leadership work, including the ATHENA International® Women’s Leadership Award and Distinguished Rotarian Award, and was recently named one of Mecklenburg County’s 50 Most Influential Women in 2016.
A member of the NC Chapter for the US National Committee for UN Women and NC State Leaders Network for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Sharon also serves on the Advisory Board for the Foundation for Girls -- a Charlotte-based 501(c)3 organization focused on providing mentoring, STEM, financial literacy, leadership, and skills-based training for at-risk girls.
In her spare time, Sharon enjoys writing and creating inspirational art and giftware under the brand, Heart by Design™. A contributing author to three books on hope, she is also the author of Walking the Heart Path: Bite-Sized Bits of Wisdom on Living & Leading from the Inside Out, her first solo book. She lives in Davidson, NC, with her two children, Michael and Allison.