Shelley Whelpton brings over 15 years of experience in the areas of non-profit program leadership, volunteer development, communications, and advocacy to The Sheridan Group.

Shelley comes to The Sheridan Group from AYUSA International, a high school youth exchange program. AYUSA recruits 2,000 high school students from 80 countries around the world and matches them with volunteer host families across America for a 10-month home stay. As AYUSA’s Executive Director, Shelley oversaw the program operations, including: the cultivation of strategic funding and program partnerships; volunteer recruitment and oversight; US Department of State regulatory compliance; and mobilization of host families for advocacy. Shelley developed and led a coalition of youth exchange programs to secure U.S. Department of State funding for a bridge-building post 9/11 exchange initiatives with the Middle East. Funded by the Cultural Bridges Act of 2002, this program brings 600 academic year students to the United States from predominately Muslim countries.

At the Sheridan Group, Shelley provided strategic leadership and coordination for the launch of the America Forward campaign, a coalition of leading social entrepreneurs advocating for federal policy changes to support greater innovation and accountability in the nonprofit sector. Shelley managed a bipartisan political and communications campaign team to ensure that goals were achieved, including national press coverage and presidential candidate endorsement. Currently, Shelley is managing a project to identify model municipalities and best practices supporting accessible play spaces for children.

Shelley's volunteer and civic work has been focused on youth-related causes. She is an Advisory Board member of Running Start, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing political leadership training for young women and girls. In her youth exchange work and as a volunteer, Shelley has conducted seminars on effective public speaking. Shelley is a member of the Sports4Kids Washington DC Advisory Board. Shelley also serves as Chair of the Annual Capital City Public Charter School Family Campaign.

Shelley graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, MA with a major in Political Science. She completed a M.Ed. from Boston University’s School of Education.

Shelley lives in Washington DC with her partner, Adair, and two sons, Owen and Charlie.

Email: swhelpton@sheridangroupdc.com

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