Governor Sharon Williams Smith

LONG before Sharon Williams Smith became governor of Kiwanis International’s Eastern Canada and the Caribbean District, she was a little girl growing up in Duhaney Park, learning early that difficult circumstances do not have to define the limits of a life. She grew up with her mother, sister, and two brothers, with three other brothers on her father’s side. Her mother worked as an office attendant, and there were times when money was scarce.

Yet young Sharon remembers her mother “always found a way” to provide for her children. She loved playing dandy shandy and hide-and-seek after school. At George Headley Primary School, she admits she occasionally got into trouble, but her academic performance was strong.

Rather than simply punish her, the principal kept her after school to help mark papers for other students — an early example of the young girl’s energy being redirected into responsibility. When she earned a place at St Andrew High, her mother faced another financial challenge. With Denise, her older sister already attending the school, some suggested that Sharon attend a less expensive institution.

She borrowed the money to pay the tuition, determined that her daughter should have the opportunity she had earned. The young girl would become a Student Council representative, joined Girl Guides and Key Club and, in sixth form, became a senior prefect. It was also at St Andrew that she discovered the value of service — lessons in kindness, teamwork, and leadership that would eventually shape her life far beyond the classroom.

Her first dream was to become a medical doctor. That ambition changed when Williams Smith considered the financial reality of university. Rather than place an additional burden on her mother, she chose business subjects so she could enter the workforce after sixth form.

Her sister Denise, then working at National Commercial Bank, helped her secure an interview for an entry-level customer service representative position. She got the job and excelled, eventually becoming Customer Service Representative of the Year before moving into roles as a teller, personal banker, manager of the private banking centre, manager of the New Kingston branch, and head of group client experience. Banking became a career, but people became her passion.