Staff Highlight: Sharon Caldwell, Business Manager
Sharon has been BRAHM’s Business Manager since November of 2017. While Sharon’s job is primarily to manage the museum’s finances and oversee the front desk, her actual tasks go far beyond these responsibilities. At any time, you could see Sharon checking the HVAC system, meeting with contractors, assisting caterers at BRAHM events, or straightening up the gift shop. This is partly because Sharon is well-versed in many positions, and partly because she is quick to say yes when another staff member needs help in their own area. Sharon can switch hats at any given moment and is readily willing to do so.
She grew up in coastal Connecticut. Her bookkeeping experience began in high school when she worked for a local CPA. A devoted Jehovah’s Witness, Sharon began her personal bible study and door-to-door volunteer work immediately out of high school. This led her to the Dakotas with friends who were also working in ministry.
Since this was entirely volunteer-based (and full-time), Sharon took odd part-time jobs to support herself (she worked as a farmhand, among other things). From the Dakotas, Sharon went to Virginia where her brother was also working in ministry. There, she again took a position working for a CPA. Sharon came to Boone in 1982 on a trip with friends where she met her late husband, local photographer Bob Caldwell. A year later they were married and Sharon has lived in Boone ever since.
In her 37 years in the High Country, Sharon has worked for multiple businesses, primarily in accounting and office management. When talking about her position as BRAHM Business Manager she says, “I look at my job from a holistic perspective, in that it ties in to all areas of the organization. Therefore, facility management is organically relevant to my position, for example.” Sharon’s team-oriented outlook bodes well for BRAHM, an organization that operates on a large scale with just 10 staff members.
Sharon enjoys riding her bike, gardening at home, visiting family in Connecticut, and reading psychological/legal thrillers (Kellerman and Grisham are favorites). Her cat Finn, the wide-eyed escape artist companion, has been intrigued with her extended time at home lately and likes to help her with work by laying directly on her papers.
On a regular work day at BRAHM, one can most always find Sharon in her office, staring intently at her computer while entering data, formatting budgets, and monitoring accounts. If not there, Sharon is walking briskly from one undertaking to the next. If you’re lucky to catch her for a fast conversation, you quickly find that her hard work ethic is balanced well with a wonderful open-mindedness and a delightful sense of humor. She is truly a pleasure to be with!