Bay Area Board of Advisors

Sharon Williams
JobTrain

Sharon Williams was born in San Francisco and grew up in Burlingame, California. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from University of the Pacific in 1965. While at UOP, Sharon won several journalism and leadership awards and was the editor in chief of the campus newspaper. Sharon earned her general secondary teaching credential from San Francisco State University and taught high school English and speech classes before joining JobTrain — formerly named OICW — as a GED teacher in 1973. After five years in teaching and program development positions at OICW, Sharon became Executive Director in 1979.

Under Sharon's leadership, JobTrain grew from a small, floundering non-profit organization to a highly acclaimed and accredited job training institution which currently serves more than 6,000 people annually. JobTrain also developed a diversified financial base with funding from government contracts, community and corporate partnerships, effective fund raising strategies and entrepreneurial efforts. Sharon has served on a number of community boards, including Boys and Girls Club of the Mid-Peninsula and Stanford Alumni Consulting Team. She was a contributing member of the Tom Peters Editorial Board in 1997. Sharon was honored with induction in the San Mateo County women's Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Career Action Center's Woman of Vision Award. She is married and has one grown daughter.