Shara Garwood Sanders is the Executive Director of Leadership DeKalb, an attorney, and a community volunteer who has been serving DeKalb County for years. A native of Orlando, Florida, Shara received degrees from Presbyterian College (B.A., English, 1992) and Florida State University (B.S., Biology, 1995) before moving to Atlanta in 1996 to attend Emory School of Law (J.D., 1999).
At Emory Law, Shara was a member of the Saul Lefkowitz Intellectual Property Moot Court Team and was the recipient of the Georgia State Bar Employment Law Section Award and the first Miss Gloria Jean Fowler Award. After graduating from Emory School of Law with honors, Shara practiced labor & employment and general litigation at Jackson Lewis, Hunton Williams, and Rogers & Hardin.
In 2010, Shara stepped away from law to focus on family. Shara returned to the practice of law in January 2018 at Sugarman Law and worked there until accepting the Leadership DeKalb Executive Director position.
Shara is also a graduate of Leadership DeKalb Class of 2017. Shara served on the Leadership DeKalb Board of Directors from 2019-2022 before accepting the position of Interim Executive Director in July 2022. Shara became the permanent Executive Director of Leadership DeKalb in December 2023.
Shara is honored to be a member of and have served in leadership positions with:
- Junior League of DeKalb County (2010-present; President 2017-2019)
- St. Martin’s Episcopal School (PTO Co-President 2016-17; Board of Trustees 2017-2024; Chair 2022-2024)
- DeKalb Library Foundation (Board of Directors 2018-2024; President 2022- 2023)
- League of Women Voters of Georgia (Treasurer 2020-2022)
- Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta Champions Club for Girls (Fundraising Chair 2020; Chair 2021-2022)
- Oak Grove United Methodist Church (Chair of Serving Ministries Committee, 2022-2023)
- Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Camp CEO mentor (2022)
- Rotary Club of Decatur (2024-present)
- Lawyers Club of Atlanta (2024-present)
Shara, her husband, Garrett, and her 17-year-old daughter live in the Oak Grove area with their dog (Thor), and cats (Kit Kat, Peanut, Pickles, and Bean). Shara also enjoys traveling, reading, and training for an IronMan triathlon.
