Woman´s Lunch Place

Sharon Reilly, Executive Director

Sharon Reilly became executive director of The Women's Lunch Place in July, 2007. The Women's Lunch Place is a day-community for poor and homeless women located in the Back Bay of Boston on Newbury Street. Sharon was hired by the board of directors to lead the WLP to its next level of maturity as an organization. Under her leadership, the WLP celebrated its 25th anniversary with a signature dinner that raised the most money in the 25 year history of the organization. Sharon is leading the organization's effort to institute an comprehensive evaluation system to measure the impact of The Women's Lunch Place services in the lives of poor and homeless women as well as guide the organization through strategic planning to chart the course of growth and programmatic thrust over the next three to five years. She is also charged with diversifying and expanding the organization's donor base and raising its profile among target constituencies.

Prior to joining The Women's Lunch Place, Sharon was the director of community relations at The Food Project where she was responsible for the organization's public policy initiatives and leveraging relationships to build brand awareness in the Boston market. Sharon moved to Boston in 2003 from Ft. Smith, Arkansas where she was employed by Beverly Enterprises, Inc., a Fortune 500 company where she lead corporate wide team projects on corporate compliance and business ethics, staff recruitment and retention. A former regional director for Minnesota based National Marrow Donor Program, Sharon's region was number one in the recruitment and retention of donors of color and she produced the organization's award winning video on targeted minority recruitment. Throughout her professional career, Sharon has brought to all of her positions a remarkable array of skills that have empowered the organizations to fulfill their missions.

A native Mississippian, Sharon has a passion for social justice issues. She grew up on a sharecropper's farm during the 1950s and 1960s and she understands the plight of poor women and the devastating effects of poverty. A graduate of Rust College and the University of Mississippi, Sharon graduated with honors from both institutions.

Sharon is a graduate of the Commonwealth Seminar, a member of the Board of Directors for Brookwood Farm, a co-founder of the Executive Directors' Roundtable, and a member of the Steering Committee for the Boston Food and Fitness Collaborative.

In her spare time, Sharon enjoys travelling, hiking, discovering New England, designing beaded jewelry and hair accessories for girls.
                                           

For more information, please contact:

Sharon Reilly
67 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-267-1722, ext. 24
Sharon@womenslunchplace.org
www.womenslunchplace.org

Sharon Reilly, Executive Director