Leadership in Action

HUMANITY FIRST

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP PUBLICATION

Author | Sharon L. Shelton

A leadership and implementation resource connecting nonviolence, voter rights, self-worth and understanding ethical AI with practical commitments by civic, business and community leaders.

KBLA Interview

In Conversation: Changing the Culture of Violence October 1, 2026

A KBLA discussion with Dominique DiPrima and Rev. Oliver Bouie exploring the importance of changing the culture of violence and strengthening community dialogue.

Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School: Institute for Nonviolence Los Angeles 

Bridging Higher Education, Governance & Community Peacebuilding

As a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School, Sharon L. Shelton champions the connection between higher education, institutional leadership, social justice, and meaningful community impact.

This commitment was reflected in the September 19, 2026, Leadership Dialogue convened by the Institute for Nonviolence Los Angeles (INVLA), where Pacific Oaks participated as a higher education partner supporting the initiative’s research and evaluation efforts.

The partnership reflects an important dimension of Shelton’s leadership: connecting academic expertise, applied research, and community dialogue to strengthen organizational learning, inform decision-making, and support measurable impact. Shelton also serves as Principal Investigator and Lead Architect of INVLA’s Leadership Dialogue Systems Initiative, an organizational framework designed to embed dialogue, collaborative problem-solving, and continuous learning into institutional practice.

Her work reflects a central leadership principle: Healthy institutions are essential to healthy communities, and peacebuilding must become a core competence of leadership.

ALIGHT

Survivor-Centered Justice and Systems Change

As a member of ALIGHT’s Board of Directors, Shelton supports an organization connecting human trafficking survivors with specialized pro bono legal assistance. ALIGHT’s FY2026 report documents 196 survivors served, 520 legal matters and approximately $1.47 million in legal services.

Advancing peace and justice includes removing systemic barriers to safety, independence and opportunity for survivors.