Dr. Sharon, DIRECTOR

Dr. Sharon is an experienced educator, researcher, administrator, and professional musician. Prior to being Acton’s Director, Dr. Sharon performed with many symphony orchestras, was a professor of Viola and Music Business at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and has extensive experience teaching children from ages 2-18 at Montessori and various private schools in Chicago and Madison. Her area of specialty is creativity and arts collaboration. As a researcher and entrepreneur she has created numerous arts education programs for youth and adults, a creativity method for musicians, has published articles on education and the arts, and she was an invited TEDx speaker in 2018 with a talk titled Being a Creativity Detective. As former Creative Director, Artistic Director, and Executive Director for previous organizations she led meaningful collaborative initiatives with organizations such as Joffrey Ballet, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Boys and Girls Club. As the Director of Acton Sharon shared “As I lead Acton I am fueled by the magic each child brings and the wonder they have for the world. Along with my own inner child, the learners are my Guides and it is such a rewarding experience to be on this journey with families as we grow our Acton community together.” Dr. Sharon is a certified Montessori Primary teacher and earned her doctoral degree from University of Wisconsin Madison and Master and Bachelor degrees in Music and Education from New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. Thus far, her career highlights have been playing with Yo-Yo Ma, touring with Jethro Tull, building Acton and celebrating each moment with learners, especially our 30-second dance parties! In addition to her role at AAO, Dr. Sharon is a Mom of two, Reiki master, crystal healer, tarot reader, and models life long learning as she recently became a certified Aromatherapist and started a wellness business called Mantra Moment. To learn more about Dr. Sharon and her Acton journey, explore this interview by Education Reimagined, a national learner-led organization.