Martha Lemons Sherrill

Martha Lemons Sherrill helped Sinclair Sherrill define and develop Boon, and continues to serve the cause—anytime, anywhere. As an avid reader with a sensitive soul, she has carried a passion for the written word for as long as she can remember. Helping classmates and others who had trouble learning to read was second nature. Teaching school ran in the family, and she grew up learning that, “Books are our friends.” For the sheer love of books, she majored in English Literature at university, the ‘perfect’ preparation for a nonprofit career.

Martha has devoted most of her professional energies to the nonprofit sector for nearly 35 years, focused in the fundraising and marketing/public relations arenas. She is appreciative of the learning curve her work has provided in various subject areas: classical music with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra; nature conservation with The Nature Conservancy; and social services and youth mentorship with Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. But her favorite experiences were those in education as Associate Director for Major Gifts at Princeton University, during its 250th Anniversary capital campaign, and as Capital Campaign Director at The Park School in Brookline, Massachusetts. A major focus of the Park campaign was professional development for teaching to different learning styles, ‘way back in 2001…’

Martha was born in Greenville, Mississippi, and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. There, she attended both public and private schools, graduating in 1981 from Wilmington Friends School. She graduated with the aforementioned AB in English from Princeton University in 1985. She enjoyed volunteering her time through the Junior Leagues of Greater Wilmington and Princeton, and by joining various young professional committees to organize fundraising events for a broad variety of organizations. In 2000, she moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she met her husband Sinclair. Together they moved to Rhode Island and embarked on new, grand adventures.