Sharon Cooley is the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Creative, where she spearheads strategic growth initiatives and cultivates key partnerships to drive the company’s expansion and market presence. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, Sharon has a proven track record of winning high-impact international development projects, carving out new opportunities and re-engineering business development strategies and systems.
As Senior Vice President, Sharon oversees new business development strategies, policies, and processes. She works with senior leadership to set targets, allocate resources, make decisions on pursuits, and ensure we are meeting the highest standards in our proposals and partner interactions. She is a member of Creative’s Leadership Team and Executive Committee, a co-developer of the Creative Women’s Leadership Program, and oversees a Business Development Department of more than 20 business development professionals. She also is a former elected Board Member of the Society for International Development—US.
Sharon first came to Creative in 2011, where she served in progressive leadership roles, including Senior Vice President, for nine years. Prior to returning to Creative in 2024, Sharon served as Vice President of Business Development at Integrity. She “grew up” in international development while at the Urban Institute, where she managed projects and delivered technical assistance on decentralization and local government reform projects for USAID and the World Bank.
Sharon holds a Master’s degree in Social and Political Theory from the New School for Social Research (now the New School University). In her free time, she enjoys visiting museums, reading, and trying her hand at native plant gardening.