Occupation

Sharon L. Lechter is an American accountant, author, businesswoman, investor, motivational speaker, financial literacy activist and philanthropist. Sharon Lechter is also the founder and CEO of Pay Your Family First, a financial education organization. In 2009 Sharon was appointed to the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission as a national spokesperson on the topic of financial literacy. In January 2008, Lechter was appointed to the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy to serve a two-year term. It is the council's responsibility to keep the American public financially competent and competitive. The Council served both President Bush and President Obama advising them on the need for financial literacy education.Sharon is a member of the Business Advisory Board for EmpowHER, a company dedicated to women’s health issues. Sharon also serves on the national board of the Women Presidents’ Organization, and the national board of Childhelp, a national organization founded to prevent and treat child abuse. In 2013 Sharon received the designation of AICPA Financial Literacy Champion. Sharon is also an Instructor for Thunderbird School of Global Management for both its Artemis Program and its partnership with the U.S. Department of State and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program. Sharon was also integral in the passage of Arizona SB1449 in June 2013, a bill that requires financial literacy concepts to permanently be incorporated into economics standards and created a separate statue for those concepts.