About Sharon Sarles, Sharon Sarles Seminars, Organizational Strategies, references, testimonials

Sharon Sarles' Seminars
and Organizational Strategies
Called to bless and build teachers and educational administrators.

ABOUT SHARON

Speaking professionally since 1994, Sharon has been teaching all her life. Her seminars are high content, yet she always strives to contextualize and customize them, in order to give your group the highest possible effectiveness.

Her formal education includes a Diploma in the Montessori Method from St. Nicholas, a Bachelor's in Sociology from The University of Texas at Austin with Highest Honors and Special Honors in Sociology and two master's degrees. Her first master's is in Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and her second in Sociology from Texas Tech University. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Kappa Delta. At seminary she was also accorded the highest scholarship available, based on academic merit and promise for ministry, and, upon graduation in the top five of her class, was given a fellowship for further study. More recently, she finished a Master's in Sociology at Texas Tech with some courses from The University of Texas at Austin. She taught at Wayland Baptist University - Lubbock, at South Plains College - Lubbock, and Temple College-Taylor. She now teaches at Austin Community College.

She earned CTM and ATM from Toastmasters' International and was formerly a member of National Speakers' Association and American Society for Training and Development. She served two terms as officer in the Southwest Facilitator's Association. She has been a member of Sigma Xi, a research association. She was the President of the South Plains Council for Learning Disabilities, restarting the group and serving a second term. She served as an officer in ISPI (International Society for Performance Improvement). She is a life member of Mensa. She currently is a grateful member of Kingsway International Fellowship and Brushy Creek Church.

As a pastor she also had some stunning successes. In her first assignment as temporary pulpit supply, she quadrupled attendance in 90 days. Then she proceeded to a post as Associate Minister in a suburban church and started many programs and gained 11% growth in one year. Then she was hired away to be solo minister and again she quadrupled Sunday Morning attendance in the first 6 months. The church had a youth group they had not had for decades, their first baptism in years, and greatly expanded program offerings. Subsequently she participated in other religious groups, including a national committee for religious education of a denomination. After a major crisis in her family, she returned orthodox, evangelical, charismatic Christianity.

As a clergy person she became known for regional Sunday School teacher training conferences, and then regional minister training for evangelism/membership recruitment. Her services as a clergyperson who understands a variety of faith traditions was sought after for interfaith weddings for a dozen years in Austin.

Sharon first wrote for paid publication in 1983. Her first check for writing was from the Messenger Publishing House. Since then she has published in several denominational magazines, reviewed children's book for a librarian's journal, written editorials, several booklets, and now three books.

She served as a self-employed professional speaker since 1994. She began consulting for small businesses after helping friends with 2 million dollars in annual sales, reconstitute their office after an outsource disaster. Other friends heard and asked for her organizational abilities. Not surprisingly, though, her client base grew to be mostly educational endeavors.

After a hiatus of a few years due to family needs, Sharon is re-opening her training and consulting in 2009. With re-invigorated faith and fresh experience in the world of education, she is even more empowered to serve and bless teachers and administrators.

SUCCESS STORIES

A very well established and well-known business in Austin had an office disaster. Sharon rebuilt records, computerized the company, provided advice on personnel matters and records management, and shopped both health and property insurance. Over a year a full $200,000.00 in decreased expenses are attributable to Sharon's work.

One of Sharon's 1999 clients, Austin Neighborhood Council, won the Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Award: Most Improved Organization. She served as a consultant on organization, meetings, and long-term planning.

PROBLEM:
CEO wanted to retire and go fishing by selling business to employees. Employees had a hard time with the idea of "self-management" that the owner favored and consequently could not fathom employee ownership.

SOULUTION:
CEO called in Sharon to research employee opinion, consult and train. She conducted quantitative and qualitative research, submitting report to CEO with several intervention alternatives. He chose the most ambitious plan.

A short training session was instituted with the highest possible impact. The business knew that every moment employees were in meetings they were not at the presses. But employees knew that Sharon had something very important for them, so a faster pace than usual was very possible.

Employees were given procedures to call meeting on their own and skills to have more effective meetings. Employees were further helped to set in motion committees to research 1) formats for employee ownership with and without hierarchical management structure and 2)the financial aspects of purchasing the business. Both CEO and upper level employees were deliriously happy and lower level employees were content to cooperate. CEO and upper management secured Sharon's services on a continuing basis. Owner went fishing, saying, "I've have nationally recognized firms in here. They were never much help to me. The last one I nearly threw out. Sharon was truly different. She is my solution genie!! "

PROBLEM:
"We got a purty good crowd today." "Well, we should, we called everyone to tell them to be sure and be here to see the new minister." There were 11. Only two were less than seventy. There were no children. That was December. Someone had left them a bequest to hire a full time minister.

SOLUTION:
Sharon Sarles was that new minister. By April members who said they would never again darken the door of that church were coming back. A family with five children filled a pew. A youth group had been held for spring break, averaging 15 kids each day. Some of the children were practising in a bell choir. Parents were making plans for a summer camp. The first baptism in decades was requested. Attendance was running at forty.

PROBLEM:
A suburban congregation had difficulty mounting a youth program. In their affluence, these young people had many choices. Seldom did they choose the youth group. Meetings were held once every two months and about 8 came. The sponsors felt overwhelmed, underprepared, and discouraged.

SOLUTION Sharon found a couple who did not realize that their study of comparative religions and their ease of dealing with youth was a congregational treasure. Weekly meetings gathers 30 to 40 youths, challenging them with ethical and spiritual heroism and up to date information they could get no where else.

PROBLEM:
Battered women's shelter in nearby urban area was overflowing and having to turn away many women. Many of those turned away were from a small town called Westaskiwin, just north of a large Indian Reservation. The area had unusually high domestic violence statistics.

SOLUTION:
Sharon recruited female community leaders from both town and reservation to found SAAV, the Society Against Abuse and Violence. Aggressive fund raising was planned in order to work toward purchase and staffing of a safe house while an aggressive education campaign was begun immediately.

TESTIMONIALS