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Sharon Nunes, Immediate Past Chairman

Sharon

Dr. Sharon Nunes retired from IBM in 2012 after spending 28 years in several areas of IBM’s businesses: Research, Development, Manufacturing, CHQ, Business Development and Sales. During her career, Sharon helped to launch two global businesses for IBM: Life Sciences (2001), and Big Green Innovations (2006) which became one of the cornerstones of IBM’s Smarter Planet program. Sharon merged her background in Materials Science and Engineering, with her knowledge of Information Technology to anticipate new business needs and convince her superiors to invest in new growth areas for the business. Together with clients and partners, Sharon’s mission at IBM was to demonstrate how information technology played a critical role in helping to solve the world’s problems.

She held numerous executive positions at IBM, but is most proud of the recognition she received for mentoring women and early-career employees. In 2004, she was awarded IBM’s Fran Allen Mentoring Award and in 2006 was named a National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) “Women of Excellence” national award winner for her impact in mentoring technical women. In 2009, Sharon was recognized as a Women’s History Month Honoree as one of the “Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet” and was inducted into the WITI (Women in Technology International) Hall of Fame. While at IBM, Sharon was a leader in the IBM Global Women’s Council and co-chair of the global “Women in Technology” committee at IBM.

Dr. Nunes received her Ph.D. in Materials Science in 1983 from the University of Connecticut. She has held numerous board positions over the past fifteen years. She is currently an emeritus member of the Board of Directors for the University of Connecticut Foundation, a member of the Engineering Advisory Board at the University of Connecticut and a member of the Project Advisory Board for Idaho’s “Managing Idaho’s Landscapes for Ecosystem Services” NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement award. Dr. Nunes was a National Academy of Engineering “Frontiers of Engineering” fellow and was a member of the National Academy of Engineering “Engineer of 2020” advisory board. In 2006, she was inducted into the University of Connecticut Academy of Engineering for Distinguished Engineers. She enjoys spending her free time volunteering at the Falmouth Service Center, The Cape Cod Foundation and Cotuit Center for the Arts.

What has inspired you to serve as a member of The Cape Cod Foundation Board of Directors?

“When I moved to Cape Cod in 2010, I decided to move all my work related donations to the Cape, so I could start to make a difference in the community where I was planning to live. I found the Cape Cod Foundation on-line, and loved the idea of having a community fund which could touch many parts of the Cape, and provide services to many organizations. I became involved in the Scholarship program and the Falmouth Fund, and as I learned more about the Cape Cod Foundation, I was impressed by the breadth of their reach and impact in the community. I am excited to contribute even more to the Cape Cod Foundation as a board member, and hope to bring ideas from my business experience and prior board experiences to help The Cape Cod Foundation reach its next objective: $200M endowment in the next 25 years! A simple quote from Robert F Kennedy sums up my feelings… ““The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” I know I can do that through the Cape Cod Foundation!”

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Together, we have invested more than $95 million in grants and scholarships in the Cape Cod Community. For good.

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Cape Cod Foundation
508.790.3040
261 Whites Path, Unit 2
South Yarmouth, MA 02664
info@capecodfoundation.org

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