Sharon Leader was born and raised in New Orleans ,
Louisiana . She has been involved with the transportation industry for over 20 years and has been a professional consultant for more than a decade. Through her years of experience in the fields of urban planning and transportation, she has proven to be adept at taking projects from “idea to implementation” and has earned the respect of many experts in the field.

With a reputation as a problem-solver, Sharon has consulted on projects for parishes statewide including the Tammany Trace master plan, the Gulf Coast Maglev (a proposed magnetic levitation project), and the Pontchartrain Trace multi-parish bike path around Lake Pontchartrain. Some of her other clients include the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, the Regional Planning Commission, the City of Kenner and the Louisiana Steam Train Association.

Education  

-Graduated from Isidore Newman High School ( New Orleans , LA )

- Undergraduate work at Hollins College ( Roanoke , VA ) and the University of Virginia ( Charlottesville , VA )

-B.A. in Psychology from Newcomb College ( New Orleans , LA )

-M.S.W. from Tulane University ( New Orleans , LA )

Professional Experience
(1975-1982)

-Director of Big Brothers, New Orleans

-Director of Special Programs, N.O. Regional Transit Authority

-Director of Marketing, N.O. Regional Transit Authority

-Director of Intergovernmental Relations, N.O. Regional Transit Authority

(1987)
-Director of Marketing, JoEllen Smith Psychiatric Hospital

(1991)
-Formed Leader and Oiler, Inc., Transportation Consulting

(1999)
-Formed swLeader, Inc., Transportation Consulting

swLeader, Inc. is a certified woman-owned business in the state of Louisiana and is recognized as a disadvantaged business enterprise by the Regional Transit Authority, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the Regional Planning Commission and the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport .