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Our Story

My family has proudly called Sharon home for over a decade, with more than twenty relatives joining us in this vibrant community. In 2023, we moved to Sharon from Hoboken, NJ, drawn by its diversity, natural beauty, proximity to Boston and Providence, and family-friendly environment. We see tremendous potential to strengthen community connections and promote economic vitality through the arts and sciences.

The Sharon Forward Foundation is dedicated to fostering community building and economic development by promoting and supporting the arts and sciences through education, programming, and cultural initiatives. Our goal is to create dynamic spaces and opportunities for artistic expression, scientific exploration, and meaningful engagement that bring people together and enrich Sharon’s cultural landscape.

 

As a nonprofit, we can access private foundation grants, collaborate with other organizations, and lead targeted projects that enhance the town’s cultural and economic vibrancy. Our work is designed to complement the efforts of the Town’s Boards and Committees, supporting shared goals for a thriving community. Modeled after successful arts and cultural development organizations across the country, we are committed to making a lasting impact.

Our team initially consists of my extended family, each bringing diverse skill sets and a shared passion for community engagement. As we grow, we look forward to welcoming more members of the Sharon community into our leadership and initiatives. If you're interested in getting involved, please reach out!

Meet The Team

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Oanh Thi Nguyen

President

Oanh Nguyen graduated from Wellesley College and the Tufts University Fletcher School. She began her career at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, a research think tank focused on land use and planning. For 13 years, she served as a Senior Equity Analyst at First Eagle Investment Management, specializing in the media and telecom industries. Oanh currently resides in Sharon, MA, with her husband, Patrick Mueller, and two daughters.

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Anh Thi Nguyen

Treasurer

As a daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Anh has intimate knowledge of the obstacles, barriers, and strategies of ethnic small business owners and has a talent for translating those experiences into community economic development plans to stem systemic displacement. Since 2001, Anh has worked with hundreds of small business owners from Boston’s Chinatown to Boston's Dorchester neighborhoods and from San Francisco's Tenderloin to Oakland. When the US Justice Department sued the City of Boston in 2005 for voter violations, Anh was asked to serve on the Voter Task Force and assist the City in implementing bilingual ballots. In 2007, the City of Boston appointed her as a member of Boston Connects, the City’s Economic Development Partner, charged with administering $190 million throughout Boston’s Empowerment Zone. She was asked to serve on the 2007 Boston Film Festival Committee, the year after Massachusetts introduced tax credits for the film industry. In 2013, Anh designed the "Closing the Digital Divide" framework and partnered with Square for San Francisco's Tenderloin. She was also ranked 2nd in the country behind the City of New York in small business loans through kiva.org. In 2016, she was the keynote speaker at San Francisco’s Central City Democrats 10th-anniversary celebration and was honored by the Tenant Associations Coalition with its Community Impact Award. That same year, Anh returned to Boston and worked with MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning to create an equitable design plan “Connecting Bowdoin Geneva: A Plan for Community and Commerce”. She also recruited Harvard Transactional Law Clinic to write “Commercial Leases 101” to disseminate to small business owners. The City of Boston also adopted her "Closing the Digital Divide" framework and invested $100,000 in POS systems and internet connection for small businesses. The framework was also introduced to the State of Massachusetts and she was the first to receive state funding as a Main Streets organization. Anh has also served on the City of Boston’s Arts Commission, redirecting funds to communities of color. As the creator of Salty Frank’s, a fast-food restaurant in Gloucester, MA, she can tell you of her challenges as a small business owner. Anh has visited 47 states and 21 countries. She has been a resident of Florence, Italy, Boston, San Francisco, Oakland, and Inglewood. Now she resides in Atlanta with her husband Kwame and two children Hunter and Levi.

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Patrick D. Mueller

Director

Patrick Mueller is a Managing Director and Head of Diversified Industrials Coverage in HSBC’s Global Banking Division. Patrick has deep sector expertise and senior client responsibility for a number of leading Engineering & Construction, Industrials Technology and Real Estate Services companies in the US. Prior to joining HSBC in 2009, Patrick was a Vice President in the Industrials Group at J.P. Morgan. Patrick graduated from Hobart College and received an MBA from The Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. Patrick lives in Sharon, MA with his wife, Oanh Nguyen, and two daughters.

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Kimanh Mish

Clerk

Kimanh Mish works in Investor Relations at a consulting firm. She has over fifteen years of experience in finance. She attended the College of the Holy Cross as an Economics major and received her MBA from Babson College. She currently lives in Sharon, MA with her husband, three children, and black lab.

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Chloe Nguyen

Research Coordinator

Having grown up attending the Sharon Public Schools her whole life, Chloe is eager to help pay it forward to the community that raised her. Chloe Nguyen is an undergraduate student at Yale University majoring in History.

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Eloise Quan

Volunteer

Eloise is a junior at George C. Marshall High School in Northern Virginia. She has an interest in public policy, social justice, and anthropology. In her free time, she loves playing volleyball and hanging out with friends.

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Ella Nguyen

Volunteer

Ella Nguyen, a senior at Sharon High School, has attended the Sharon Public Schools her whole life. She is interested in protecting the environment, and she loves to dance and write. Ella is eager to make a positive impact in Sharon with the Sharon Forward Foundation.

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