The Personal Side of Sharon

Sharon grew up as the youngest of six children in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri.  Her family tells her she was (and still is) spoiled, and she's okay with that - to her, this confirms she is loved and well-cared for!  Sadly, Sharon's mom passed away from breast cancer in June 2005.  Her dad, two brothers, three sisters and their families (including 15 nieces and nephews) all live in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area, as do many of her extended family of over 50 aunts, uncles and cousins.  Sharon liked growing up in a larger family and believes that spawned her early interest in human dynamics as it was such a rich discovery field and playground.

Sharon now lives in the beautiful countryside of Missouri with her two cats, Oompa Loompa and Willy Wonka, and an occasional relative or two.  The cats are her constant companions in the home office and while puttering around the house.  She named them after her favorite movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Willy is the tabby below left and Oompa is the torty below right.  Beautiful, sweet and mischievous!

One of Sharon's passions is traveling - the opportunity to see beautiful sites, learn about different cultures, meet people from all over and have a beer or glass of wine with them.  In 2001-2002, she had the awesome opportunity of living in London for seven months and traveling widely through Western Europe.  Here are links to her pictures from this special experience:  http://photos.yahoo.com/wingsofsuccess and http://photos.yahoo.com/shazzerw.  While she loved her "homebase" of London, a couple of her other "favorites" from this time included the Amalfi Coast of Italy, Venice, Brugges, Amsterdam, the Swiss Alps, and the Hofbrauhaus in Munich.

When not working, traveling, or hanging with family, friends, or the cats, Sharon is involved with several community activities.  She regularly attends New Beginnings Lutheran Church, www.nblc.net and is actively involved with their leadership develoment and member assimilation programs.  She is also active in the St. Louis chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).

Thank you for taking time to get to know Sharon a bit "outside of work."  If you'd like to read Sharon's personal mission statement, please click on Personal Mission.