Hi, I’m Sharon.
I'm a white queer coach and leader committed to dismantling white supremacy because it is the only way we can love and relate to people - and ourselves - authentically and, with a bit of practice, with delight.
I've learned the hard way to be both a transparent and strategic leader. I'm still learning. I accomplished a lot as a leader, especially after I developed the ability to fail and start again.
I'm solutions-driven. This approach doesn't work for everyone. Folks who would most benefit from my coaching respond well to conversations that are focused, and rooted in curiosity, humor, and empathy that result in clear action steps. If you'd like to see if we'd be a good fit for the issues and opportunities you're thinking about, schedule a time on the Let's talk page.
Sharon Stapel (she/her) was trained as a lawyer and practices as a coach with experience rooted in her 20+ year leadership career.
My offical bio
Sharon has served as the executive director at Legal Hand, Inc., a national organization that dismantles systemic barriers to resources for historically excluded communities through zero-barrier community storefront centers and virtual call-in centers. Prior to that, Sharon was president of the Nonprofit New York, representing more than 2,700 nonprofits throughout New York City, where she focused on nonprofit best practices for racial equity within the sector. Prior to joining Nonprofit New York, Sharon was the executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project where she worked on national and local LGBTQ equity policy issues and was named a White House Champion of Change. For the first ten years of her career, Sharon was a legal aid attorney, and college and law school professor.
Sharon has developed and implemented racial and LGBTQ equity systems within nonprofits. She co-chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion subcommittee of Ahead of the Curve, a working group of nonprofit leaders in New York City. She was a member of the New York City Nonprofit Resiliency Committee; Lawyers Committee Against Domestic Violence; New York City Family Court Advisory Council to the Administrative Judge, LGBT Matters; LGBT Advisory Committee to the New York Police Department; Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary; National Taskforce to End Domestic and Sexual Violence; National Victims Assistance Standards Consortium; and National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. In her personal life, Sharon is a part of PS20’s School Leadership Team, Phoenix Community Garden’s Elder Box Program, co-founded the Ocean Hill/Brownsville Mutual Aid network, and tutors elementary students in reading literacy. Sharon sits on the Board of CUNY Law School's Main Street Legal Services.
Sharon is an experienced public speaker and has been quoted in pieces in NPR, the New York Times, Buzzfeed, HuffPost, USA Today, the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, and on various television, radio, and podcast outlets. Sharon has presented to the White House, Department of Justice, National Center for Victims of Crime, New York City Family Justice Centers, and various national conferences, and has published opinion, academic, and legal writings. She has consulted with the WNBA, the LGBT-Health Initiative of the University of Rochester Medical Center, and hundreds of nonprofit leaders throughout New York City.
Sharon has been recognized by President Obama, the American Bar Association, the New York City Council, and others. She was the LGBT Subject Matter Expert for the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime. She was named a nonprofit power leader by City & State in 2018 and 2019. She has led successful local, state, and national legislative campaigns focused on equity and inclusion. Sharon is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and CUNY Law School and has a certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business School. Sharon spends her downtime with her wife, children, a menagerie of animals, and her garden.