Mother Caroline Friess 2025 Alumna of the Year Co-Recipient: Sister Sharon Slear, SSND, Ph.D. ’61

As a School Sister of Notre Dame and nationally recognized leader in education, Sister Sharon has dedicated her career to championing the transformative power of learning. From helping open the all-girls Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore to breaking barriers as the first woman athletics director at Bishop Walsh High School in Cumberland, she has always led with conviction and courage.

 

Holding a bachelor’s degree from what is now Notre Dame of Maryland University, a master’s degree in chemistry from Villanova University, and a doctorate in educational administration from Boston College, Sister Sharon grew up worshiping at St. Bernardine in West Baltimore, where she attended the parish school. In formation as a young religious sister, she had several teaching assignments that helped her discover her passion for education as she inspired her students—particularly her female students—to find their voice while helping them secure internships, grants, and financial aid to pursue careers in education.

 

Appointed to the faculty at Notre Dame of Maryland University in 1988, Sister Sharon was charged with developing graduate programs in education. She also spearheaded the development of the university's first doctoral program, the Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations, with the first degrees awarded in 2008, and has taught across all divisions of Notre Dame—undergraduate, adult undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. programs. Her instruction spans educational leadership, administration, mathematics, computer science, and chemistry, and she has also mentored student teachers during their secondary school internships.

 

When the College of Notre Dame of Maryland became Notre Dame of Maryland University in 2011, Sister Sharon was appointed founding dean of the new School of Education. Under her leadership, the school expanded to offer 11 master’s degrees, two Ph.D. programs, and 18 certification tracks. She also served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, leading efforts that earned Notre Dame the distinction of being Maryland’s first private institution to receive accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

 

Her leadership extends well beyond the classroom. A two-term member of the Governor's P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland, Sister Sharon has chaired educational boards and contributed to research in leadership and learning theory. Her published works explore the intersection of education and emotional intelligence, and she is known for mentoring students—especially young women—to step into leadership roles with confidence and clarity.

 

In 2016, Sister Sharon visited the Matenwa Learning Community School in Haiti through a partnership developed by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, where she witnessed the urgent need for quality teacher training. Inspired to make a lasting impact, she helped launch Train the Teacher, a multi-year initiative focused on improving instruction in underserved communities. The program began in 2017, when a team traveled to the remote island of La Gonave to begin training local educators. Between 2017 and 2020, the team made several return visits, helping to implement Notre Dame’s math curriculum for grades one through three. The curriculum—translated into Creole and accompanied by instructional videos—was officially adopted by Haiti’s national government, with plans to expand its use throughout La Gonave.

 

Currently serving as Executive Director of Academics at her alma mater, Sister Sharon brings her legacy full circle. She is not only a beacon of academic excellence but a living testament to NDP’s mission of empowering women to transform the world.