Evolve and thrive through tailored advising that empowers high-impact leadership
What we do
Enlighten Leadership offers a comprehensive strategic framework incorporating leadership coaching, consulting, and internal assessments to prepare individuals and organizations to meet current challenges.
Strong leadership is as necessary in the day-to-day as it is in moments of crisis. We help leaders to do the challenging and indisputably necessary work of fostering environments that can:
- successfully incorporate an increasingly diverse range of perspectives, skillsets, and identities
- examine areas of vulnerability that derail strategic initiatives
- navigate difficult conversations about leadership styles and organizational culture
We provide the blueprint to build sustainable organizations and collaborative cultures. Our mission is to help leaders illuminate their guiding principles, communicate commitment to inclusion with clarity, and empower team members to contribute meaningfully to achieving a common purpose.
Sharon’s honesty, careful listening, and thoughtful contributions were instrumental to an incredibly successful year of events and fundraising. She was a critical asset to the board, helping craft strategic initiatives, and contributing to projects that enhanced leadership opportunities for women in the community. Sharon is collaborative, curious, reflective, and inclusive. She is a treasure.
Janna Wagner, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, All Our Kin; Past Chair, Advisory Board, The Community Fund for Women & Girls (Greater New Haven, CT)
Sharon is a powerful thought leader who empowers individuals and organizations to lead with empathy and strength. I have experienced Sharon’s excellence and compelling work firsthand as well as seen her positive impact on the community she serves.
Donna Harris, Director of Legal Recruiting - U.S.
With an unwavering commitment to inclusion, Sharon’s leadership, strategic acumen and empathetic approach consistently lead to transformative results. Sharon has an extraordinary ability to elevate organizations, teams and individuals, leaving an indelible mark on those fortunate enough to collaborate with her.
Kiisha Morrow, Chief People and Culture Officer
Working with Sharon has been truly transformative. Sharon combines deep strategic insight with practical, actionable coaching that has elevated my leadership, sharpened my communication, and helped me navigate a complex, high-performance environment with greater clarity and confidence. She is a trusted advisor whose impact is both immediate and lasting.
Rachel V. Simmonds-Watson, Managing Director, Inclusion
Sharon made me feel deeply seen and understood. She helped plot a system of next steps and encouraged my progress and follow through. Ultimately, she helped me see and seize new possibilities and opportunities. Sharon will vastly improve the navigation of any professional journey, personal or organizational, through highs and lows. And working with her is an invigorating and transformational experience.
Katherine Reisner, Senior Counsel & Director
Sharon's dedication to supporting diverse leaders and her ability to facilitate impactful, organization-wide inclusive training make her an invaluable asset to any institution. Her insights and strategies have significantly helped organizations transition to more diverse and inclusive leadership structures, truly embodying the essence of enlightened leadership.
Kisha Nunez, Chief Inclusion & Engagement Officer
Sharon C. Brooks
Sharon Brooks is the Founder of Enlighten Leadership. She is an experienced Consultant, Advisor, and accredited Executive Leadership Coach. She has worked with a range of global leaders in the private, public, philanthropic, nonprofit, and government sectors across Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, United Kingdom, and United States.
For over two decades, she has advanced strategic initiatives in the worlds of philanthropy, academia/higher education, the legal industry, and nonprofit organizations. She has helped leaders to create vital space for reflection and co-creation; as well as to build inclusive communities by crafting proactive policies and practices that increase: accessibility of resources, demographic representation, and equitable professional opportunities.
She was a key part of the administrative leadership team at Yale Law School for over a decade, where she launched innovative and impactful strategic initiatives as Special Advisor to the Dean, focusing on mentorship, inclusion, and alumni and student engagement. She also previously served as an Associate Dean at Yale Law, overseeing Student Affairs and the Career Development Office. Sharon began her career in higher education as a Director for Counseling and Career Development at New York University School of Law.
Among her leadership roles at INSEAD business school were serving as a global Executive Director, spearheading efforts for campuses in France, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco; and as Head of the Careers team in Singapore and the Middle East.
A lawyer by training, she practiced at leading firms in New York City, including: Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and Cravath, Swaine & Moore (summer associate). She also has served on a number of advisory boards. Sharon received her J.D. degree from Yale Law School, Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from New York University, and a business executive coaching degree from the Meyler Campbell Mastered program (accredited by EMCC Global and Association for Coaching).