Sonya Shields
Museum Board Secretary & Executive Director at Cause Effective
Sonya Shields (she/her) is long-time nonprofit executive with over 25 years in the field. She currently serves as the Executive Director at Cause Effective. Sonya’s specialty is development, marketing, communications, and organizational development, and she has raised millions of dollars and built the visibility of dozens of organizations around the country.
Sonya has worked on the executive staff for Children of Promise, NYC, Getting Out Staying Out, Brooklyn Community Services, Astraea Foundation, and Keep a Child Alive, Anti-Violence Project, and National LGBTQ Task Force. Sonya has also worked extensively as a consultant, providing services to more than a dozen nonprofits including: Lambda Literary, Every Mother Counts, Partners for Dignity and Rights, Rainbow Railroad, Washington, D.C. Tennis and Education Association, and Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. Sonya also works as a coach for nonprofit professionals, participates on panels and facilitates workshops and trainings in the areas of board governance, fundraising, marketing and communications.
Sonya is on the Board of Directors of the Association for Fundraising Professionals-New York and the American LGBTQ Museum. Sonya received a B.A. in Public Relations from Howard University in Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, New York.