Sharon L. Shelton, MA, is a transformational chief executive and civic governance leader specializing in institutional stabilization, governance reform, and systems-level equity. With more than 30 years of executive and public systems leadership, she is widely recognized for guiding organizations through complexity, strengthening leadership infrastructure, and embedding collaborative problem-solving into decision-making and mission strategy. 

Shelton’s work operates at the intersection of governance, public systems, and community voice. She advances a leadership model that positions dialogue as institutional infrastructure—supporting executive transitions, strengthening governance alignment, improving decision-making, and enabling organizations to sustain mission impact over time. This approach has shaped national initiatives, cross-sector collaborations, and community-based efforts focused on equity, peace-building, and institutional resilience. 

Across her career, Shelton has led large multi-site organizations, stewarded complex budgets, and secured transformational philanthropic investments. She previously served in senior executive roles at YWCA Greater Los Angeles, where she stabilized operations during executive transition and crisis, strengthened governance and compliance systems, and partnered in securing a historic unrestricted philanthropic investment to advance organizational sustainability and equity-focused programming. 

A respected governance and public systems leader, Shelton currently serves as a Board Trustee of Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School, part of The Community Solution Education System, a six-college national higher education system committed to access, equity, and institutional innovation. In this role, she contributes to fiduciary oversight, governance strategy, institutional accountability, and long-term educational mission sustainability within a multi-state academic system.

Her civic leadership includes serving as Chair and Commissioner for the Los Angeles County Women & Girls Initiative and Chair of the City of Los Angeles Community Action Board, where she influenced policy alignment, economic mobility strategies, and equity frameworks impacting millions of residents.

Shelton is also a national and global field-builder advancing peacebuilding, civic leadership, and ethical technology governance. She is an active leader with Mediators Beyond Borders International, Institute for Nonviolence Los Angeles, and Positive Change Foundation, contributing to initiatives that connect community dialogue, violence prevention, and responsible artificial intelligence. She has participated in United Nations-aligned engagements advancing global dialogue on gender equity, peacebuilding, and institutional leadership.

Her executive portfolio includes founding the Dialogue for Leadership & Mission Sustainability framework, leading cross-sector AI governance initiatives, and developing applied equity models that help institutions move from intention to measurable accountability.

Shelton holds a Master of Arts in Behavioral Science with a concentration in Negotiation and Conflict Management from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetorical Studies from California State University, Long Beach. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in the belief that sustainable change occurs when governance, leadership, and community voice align to strengthen institutions and advance long-term societal impact.