Sharla Lee Shults fulfilled her childhood desire to become an educator, graduating from Troy University, Troy, AL. Upon graduation, she began teaching high school chemistry and mathematics. After four years, she ventured outside education and began a second career in the railroad industry.

Sharla reentered the educational field after an eleven-year break, and her experiences from her railroad career provided a real-world connection to the classroom. She worked with Special Olympics and was instrumental in establishing Exchange Club youth organizations in three high schools located in Panama City, Florida. Sharla’s last year in the classroom involved working with teens in an at-risk dropout prevention program. In 2001, Sharla once again left the classroom but remained in the field of education with Beacon Educator in the Bay District School System (Panama City, FL) writing curriculum and providing professional development for teachers across Florida. She semi-retired in 2008, at which time she became an Online Learning Specialist for Beacon.