Sharla has more than twenty-five years of nonprofit experience, primarily serving in executive fundraising roles. She has worked at chapters of national organizations such as Volunteers of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the American Red Cross. She also has extensive fundraising experience with visual arts organizations. She is a founding board member of the Phoenix Rising Alternative School Foundation where she continues to volunteer. She lives in Oklahoma, is a graduate of Oklahoma City University, and is a member of the Muscogee Nation.