Biography
Sheryl L. Carter is the daughter of Thomas (Factory 
Worker/Construction Worker who traveled north from the South during the second wave of the Great Migration), granddaughter of Frederick (Pullman Porter who died young because the local White hospital refused him treatment), and great granddaughter of Floyd (Entrepreneur/Barber who was enslaved during childhood). Sheryl believes that her lineage and lived experience as a Black woman inform her professional expertise as much as her education and work experience.
Sheryl is the Principal Consultant of The Carter Leadership Collaborative LLC. Her expertise includes devising and leading innovative initiatives and programming in cultural awareness/cultural competence, community engagement, skills enhancement, team building, organizational development, and change management. A self-proclaimed champion for social justice and a community change agent, Sheryl guides others by consulting and collaborating regularly with leaders of private foundations, public sector organizations, government agencies, K-12 and post-secondary educational institutions, private nonprofit companies, faith-based entities, and other companies to advance racial, cultural, gender, and economic equity.
She founded and led Negash and Associates LLC before establishing The Carter Leadership Collaborative. Prior to that, she held executive management positions with Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Lynwood Unified School District, and Los Angeles Unified School District.
Sheryl has also served in leadership positions on numerous volunteer boards, including the Yale Black Alumni Association, YaleWomen, YaleLA, and the Yale Alumni Association Board of Governors. Between 2016 and 2018, Sheryl co-chaired the Yale Alumni Taskforce on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Sheryl holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale and a professional mediation certificate from the Straus School of Law at Pepperdine University.