Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Winfield.
Hi Sharon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a proud little girl with humble beginnings. I am of 8 siblings. I always had big dreams of becoming a Corporate Executive. When I was fifteen, I used to clean offices buildings with my mom and sisters. We had no car, so we took the bus to work in the rain, sleet, and heat. If you are from St. Louis, then you know each season was either extremely hot or extremely cold. I hated cleaning those offices because back then one was allowed to smoke in their office. I remember cleaning the ash trays and my finger tips were black with smoke. But cleaning those office taught me a great deal. It taught me to dream big. I remember asking the person whose office I was cleaning how they got an office. They told me they worked hard and didn’t take no for an answer. That was the start of my “dream big” journey. I was always a high achiever. After cleaning the office, and catching the bus home, I still had to do my homework. I not only graduated in the top 10% of my high school graduating class but was also a cheerleader and a thespian. After graduating high school, I attended college full-time to major in Business Administration. My best friend in high school Derek Mahome got me a job working part-time in the mailroom at Edward Jones. I remember a lady named Ann worked in Human Resources and said she had been watching me as I worked there. My mom didn’t attend college, but she was smart. She always told me and my 7 siblings that you must strive to do your best. I took that as, okay, I will be the best at whatever I do. Ann said she had been watching me come in to work on time, do my job excellently, and ask for more responsibilities once my work was done. The moral of the story is you never know who’s watching you. She said because of my work ethic, she wanted to offer me a job in Human Resources as the Human Resources Assistant. I was curious to know what a Human Resources Assistant did at the time. I thought it had to be better than working in the mailroom. I am proud to say I was the first African American to work in Human Resources at Edward Jones. Fast forward 30 years later, my career spans Fortune 100, Fortune 500, and now a nonprofit organization. I’ve been a Human Resources professional supporting 9 local and international divisions, including Mexico and London. This little girl with humble beginnings who dreamed of being a Human Resources Executive is now one. I am the Chief Human Resources Officer for a 28 million nonprofit organization. I decided to spend the latter part of my career in a nonprofit to help those in need. Each day, while working, I strive to make a difference in someone’s life.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would not say smooth the entire time. There were some rocky roads. But roads I had to do with endurance. I remember working at Edward Jones. I had no car, so I had to catch the bus. Well, the bus stopped running at a particular time. And if I missed that one bus, I had to walk three miles home. I missed the bus a few times. Since I wouldn’t say I liked walking three miles to get home despite the weather, it taught me time management. It taught me no one is going to wait on me. Not even that Bi-State bus. It taught me, girl, if you don’t want to be walking, you better work, save, and buy a car. So, I did. I started working two full-time jobs to save enough to buy the car I wanted. I would leave my first full-time job at 5:00 p.m. and work until midnight at my second full-time job with my best friend Linda. I was 22 at the time, so I didn’t require a lot of sleep. I remember asking my mom to co-sign for me to get the car. She politely said she would not. Here’s another challenge I had to face. So, I walked into the car dealership and asked how much I needed to get this brand-new red sports car. The salesperson said $3,000. I walked out and said, “hold that car. I’ll be back.” It took me 6 months to save $3,000. But I did it. I didn’t understand why my mom would not co-sign for me then. But as I matured, I understood. Nothing was going to be given to me. I had to overcome life’s obstacles and challenges.
Throughout my career, many times I have been the “only” and not in a positive way. I was typically the only African-American female in the company at the level I was at. Most of the African Americans were in entry-level positions. I was the HR Director of a company that had 8,000 employees. While doing a meet and great with some of the employees, one employee asked me if they could say hi to me. From that day forward, I vowed that I would never be the only African American in a position of authority. That experience led me to start mentoring women of black and brown skin. That was in the early nineties, and nowadays, we call it Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I).
Along my Human Resources journey, I had to deal with racism, sexism, and ageism (whew, lots of isms). My voice being heard as an African American female in a room with white men was a constant struggle. When I was the HR Director of a company with 8,000 employees, one of the General Managers (Caucasian male) kept calling me kiddo because I was only 39 with a “Director” title. The little girl from Pine Lawn was thinking, if you call me kiddo one more time (you fill in the blanks), we will have a problem. But the little girl, who had many people coach and guide me throughout my career, politely said to the General Manager, I prefer you address me as Sharon or your HR Director. He never called me kiddo after that.
I needed to learn to stand up for myself as an African-American female. I’ve had to be better, do better, work harder, work smarter, prove myself more, rise above obstacles, embrace challenges, and say, darn it, I am and will be the best HR Executive an organization has ever had.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I am the Chief Human Resources Officer for YWCA of Metro St. Louis—a 28 million non-profit with over 300 employees. Our mission is to eliminate racism and empower women. We provide a variety of crucial services for women and their families: crisis intervention and housing for victims of sexual and domestic violence, Head Start and Early Head Start education and services that support families, and programs that promote economic stability as a strategy to end racial and social injustice. My peers and colleagues know me as someone who says, OK, there’s a problem, there’s a challenge, we have an obstacle. No problem. I am known for saying there’s always a solution; we can overcome obstacles, and challenges strengthen us. I’m a problem solver. My peers and colleagues know me as an expert in Human Resources. I am a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) member. I’ve been asked by numerous regional and national organizations such as STL Rethinks Talent, St. Louis Business Journal Mentoring Monday, Society of Multicultural Professionals in Human Resources, NonProfit Marketers Network, HR Executive Network of Greater St. Louis to participate in panel discussions and podcast giving my expert advice on Human Resources topics. Besides my career, I am so proud of my husband, Tony, and two children, Taylor and Sydney. I am proud of giving back by volunteering my time at several non-profit organizations. I am pleased that I get to mentor other women of black and brown skin. I am incredibly proud that I got an opportunity to go back to my neighborhood and speak to the young girls at Girls Inc.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I am a world traveler, so I’ve seen a lot of cities domestically and internally. I like that St. Louis is a family-friendly and family-focused city. We have many free things to do, such as the St. Louis Zoo, Art Museum, Science Center, beautiful parks, World Chess Hall of Fame, Museum of the Gateway Arch, Delmar Loop, and affordable parking. Many of these same venues in other states charge a hefty price to get in. I also like that St. Louis is a huge sports town. We have some die-hard Cardinal and Blues fans who support the teams when they are doing well and when they are not. Our cost of living is more affordable than other places in the Midwest.
I least like the slow progression of fixing our crime and public schools. I least like the slow progression of integrating the mindset of many that if you live in West County, you must be well off or rich. And if you live in North St. Louis City or North County, you must not be. There are some beautiful homes in all three areas. But the stigmatism of living in North City or North County is an initiative all must work on improving. Our neighborhoods are too segregated. It is too divided among the citizens. I used to live in the Central West End. My neighbors were from various ethnic backgrounds. It was great.
Also, I wouldn’t say I like it when someone asks what school I attended. There is a hidden message behind that question, and people are trying to determine my socioeconomic status. Would it matter if I said I went to a top private or public school? The school does not define who a person is. Do you know St. Louis is the only city that asks people that silly question? I am a proud Normandy Senior High School graduate- home of the Vikings.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Winfield Photography
