Clinical psychologist Linda Sharpe-Taylor (WRC ’78) received the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Leadership Award at the November 2024 African American Alumni Association (AAAA) Awards Celebration.
Sharpe-Taylor has postdoctoral training in family therapy and systemic approaches to community problems and consults with public and private agencies in the greater St. Louis area. There, she has developed programs and services that address issues such as adolescent wellness, school violence, community building and risk reduction.
Sharpe-Taylor served as president of AAAA from 2014 to 2018, and in 2011 played an integral role in developing the organization’s values, vision and mission statements as well as documents that outline the operation of the group.
She is a member of the Case Western Reserve University College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Committee, which is made up of the college’s most devoted alumni and friends. This group provides a critical source of support and guidance to the college in the pursuit of the maintenance of its traditions of excellence and the achievement of the goals set forth in its strategic plan.
Since its inception, the African American Alumni Association has sought to continue the legacy of leadership forged by Stephanie Tubbs Jones, (FSM ’71, LAW ’74), the first Black woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio. Her namesake award recognizes Black alumni who provide service to the broader community and demonstrate loyalty to the university through participation and/or financial support. Recipients demonstrate strong, effective leadership and resilience in the face of adversity.
Before she received this recognition for her commitment to her university community and her continuation of the legacy of one of CWRU’s most prominent alumnae, Sharpe-Taylor was one of the leaders who took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the October 2016 dedication of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Residence Hall.
At the event, Sharpe-Taylor said the naming of the building to honor the late congresswoman was “an embodiment of CWRU taking steps to create future narratives of diversity and inclusion.”
Sharpe-Taylor reflected upon the recognition of her efforts at the AAAA Awards Celebration and said, “The Honorable Tubbs Jones was a path-builder for many of us. Receiving an award that bears her name is truly affirming.”