Not every story has a smooth beginning. Dr. Sharon McDaniel knows this up close. Today, as Founder, President, and CEO of A Second Chance, Inc., she leads with a vision rooted in experience. She has spent her career restructuring a system that once failed her own family. Yes, you heard it right. Before ambition or career entered the scene, a loss set the course of her life in ways she would only understand later.
Her mother lost her life to gastrointestinal obstruction when Sharon was a mere two years of age. Her father, with three young children to raise by himself, was left a stressed, mourning widower. Expecting compassion, he reached out for help. He believed in the strength of his village. Nevertheless, the child welfare system at the time saw things differently. In those days, kinship care was largely a foreign concept within official protocol.
The system met her father with a coldness that still resonates today. As Dr. Sharon describes, it is deeply anti-male and particularly unwelcoming to fathers. It ignored the bonds of extended family. Watching this unfold within her own family unit sparked a resistance. Dr. Sharon felt a deep calling. A strong urge to change how we treat children and families in crisis. She saw how harsh the system was toward marginalized communities and decided that a better way had to exist.
Things became unmistakably real when she worked on the front lines as a caseworker. That role confirmed her worst fears about the industry. She saw the longstanding biases that lived within the walls of child welfare offices. Many people in the system simply did not believe that struggling families had the capacity to provide love and care. Dr. Sharon knew that was a lie. She realized that the world needed a counter-narrative that put families first. That’s how A Second Chance, Inc. came into existence. It helped her tackle her obstacles and construct a model that converted her pain into a foundation for a compassionate future that recognized dignity, family, and possibilities.
If we had to define Dr. Sharon in one word, it would be ‘Revolutionary.’ In a storm of indifference, she stands tall against all- all the prejudices that tear families apart. And we highly celebrate this courage to build what didn’t exist.
The Art of Becoming
Growth is rarely a straight line. Leading an organization from its infancy is easier said than done. For Dr. Sharon, it has been much like nurturing a young sapling. She watched it find its footing while learning which levers mattered and which could be pruned.
When she founded A Second Chance, Inc., she was an emerging leader guided by a strong internal compass. Her values and ethics were firmly instilled from the start. Over time, the world around her changed, and so did her approach. She learned to adapt to the shifting seasons of the work. What began as raw passion has evolved into intentional precision.
The early days required a different kind of energy. However, as the organization grew in size and complexity, Dr. Sharon had to sharpen her tools. This journey can be mentioned as an evolution of her own business acumen and strategic clarity. It is no longer just about the mission in a broad sense. It is about the fine-tuned judgment required to lead a major entity. She has learned to balance the heavy demands of executive leadership with a deep sense of emotional intelligence.
Over the years, her “why” has become her beacon, shining with much more clarity than it did at the start. Leadership for her is not a static identification but a constant state of refinement. She has taken every challenge as an opportunity to build a more sophisticated professional edge.
A Day That Sets the Tone
The first thing to learn in running any business successfully is discipline. Dr. Sharon’s days start very early. She realizes that quietness provides space for peace, reflection, and the birth of creative thoughts. During these hours, she can draw on her strategic thinking and vivid imagination to find new ways to improve how she serves youth, families, and their communities entrusted to her care. This time also allows her to address business matters that require immediate attention.
Once the formal workday kicks in, Dr. Sharon connects with her leadership team. This serves the purpose of checking priorities and understanding the source where her input, guidance, or decision is needed. With her portfolio encompassing work at the national and international levels, her daily schedule is a mix of calls, Zoom meetings, and ongoing correspondence. “No two days are ever the same,” she declares. “And that dynamic nature reflects both the complexity and the purpose of the work.”
The Legacy of a Global Authority
In reflecting on a career defined by service, some achievements carry a weight that numbers alone cannot fully capture. Dr. Sharon has recently been ranked as one of “The 10 Most Empowering Businesswomen to Follow in 2026.” Nonetheless, for her, the most rewarding aspect of her journey has been creating an organization that has provided a vital lifeline to more than 40,000 children, 32,000 birth parents, and 28,000 caregivers.
Sharing her perspective, the industry veteran reflects, “From the beginning, I knew the creation of A Second Chance, Inc. was divinely inspired. I trusted fully that God would open the necessary doors, though I could not have imagined how far-reaching the mission would become.”
Moreover, it has been extremely meaningful for her to work alongside truly extraordinary people. She has found great joy in watching leaders under her wing develop their own distinct voices to carry this vital work into the future. By all accounts, the opportunity to design and refine the curricula now used nationwide has created a legacy that stands the test of time.
It is often said that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and in her case, the success of her protégés reflects her own dedication to excellence. To be recognized both at home and abroad as the “Godmother of Kinship Care,” and to have her perspective sought out as a definitive guide, are both humbling and deeply affirming to her. It’s a source of profound gratitude and humility.
Steering Through the Storm
In the beginning, the most significant challenge involved helping external stakeholders and potential funders grasp exactly what the organization was built to achieve. Because she was addressing a massive, unmet void within the child welfare system, there was simply no point of reference for the work. However, that same desperate need for change acted as a catalyst for growth. To put it in perspective, A Second Chance, Inc. received its entire anticipated caseload for the year within just the first 2 months of opening its doors.
The pace at which the infrastructural system grew would have derailed even the most disciplined of leaders. What was needed was the imperative to lay down strong yet elastic roots from the word go. This scaling-up process sharpened her resolve to create a fiscal and operational structure that could be both adaptive and strategic. In many ways, it is always darkest before the dawn. Yet, Dr. Sharon handled those early pressures by leaning into a deep sense of purpose.
For her, this work was never just a business concept. Instead, it was a ministry in practice. She believed this mission was God-given and divinely inspired. Hence, He would provide the wisdom and resources necessary for the organization to flourish. Dr. Sharon often explains, “For me, faith is not passive; it is a verb, one that informs, shapes, and transforms everything I do.”
The Intentional Balance
To manage the heavy demands of her role at A Second Chance, Inc., Dr. Sharon relies on deep intentionality and the strength of a trusted executive team. She has empowered her staff to lead with confidence and competence. Micromanagement has no place in her world. This allows her to focus on the big picture rather than getting lost in the weeds of daily fires.
On a personal level, she is unapologetic about carving out time for family and hobbies that renew her. She views wellness as a fundamental requirement rather than a luxury. This philosophy is nothing new for her. In fact, she paved the way for this culture over thirty years ago when she designed an organizational wellness program for her dissertation. By modeling this balance, Dr. Sharon ensures that health remains an essential element of the company’s value system.
The Pulse of Empathy
Dr. Sharon’s leadership is an extremely human endeavor based on empathy. She sees empathy as the glue that holds a team together, enabling her to truly learn the realities her staff face and the families they walk alongside. When it comes to making tough calls, she is incredibly intentional about weighing the needs of the business against the well-being of the people who make it run. She knows that when people feel seen and valued, they do better work. It stands to reason that building trust through understanding is the only way to create solutions that actually last.
A Kin-First Future
The child welfare domain is evolving, and Dr. Sharon has been a primary designer of that evolution. Through the evidence-driven work at A Second Chance, Inc., she has helped move the national needle toward a “Kin-First Culture.”
Their team has been on the ground in nearly every state. The objective is to help rewrite policies that finally prioritize family bonds. Over the next decade, she expects this momentum to grow exponentially.
Today, creating a Kin-First Culture is top of mind for child welfare leaders nationwide. As states continue to refine and strengthen policies that support kinship care, more children will find safety in the arms of people they already know and love, rather than being placed with strangers.
Reframing the Family Narrative
To truly understand Dr. Sharon, one has to look past the impressive data and see the heart of a woman who genuinely believes in the power of belonging. She holds a simple but radical hope that family will eventually be recognized as the changemaker for children rather than the problem. In her view, the system has spent far too long treating families as liabilities or hurdles to be cleared. She wants to flip that script entirely by reframing families as assets. A Second Chance, Inc. will continue to help build strong, healthy family systems rooted in connection, belonging, and stability. Such practice ensures that children caught in a crisis are met with the unique stability and love that only a relative can offer. She is hopeful that this understanding is passed from one generation to the next, creating lasting change.
Wisdom for the Next Generation
To those looking to follow in her footsteps, Dr. Sharon offers a bit of heartfelt advice. She advises, “Believe in the voice within you. Your voice is your anthem, your values are your compass, and the way you uplift others is your legacy.”
She feels that making a real difference in child welfare starts with a clear vision and a heavy dose of compassion. These aspirants need to keep their ears to the ground and listen to everyone involved, from children and youth to families, frontline workers, communities, and all stakeholders.
She reminds them that change is not a solo sport. Additionally, she underscores that sustainable progress is only possible through solid collaboration. Confidence and continuous learning are two must-haves to stay effective. Lastly, this seasoned trailblazer explains leadership in child welfare. It’s not about authority. It has never been, and it will never be. Leading in this domain means creating conditions where hope, dignity, and opportunity can thrive.
To this, Dr. Sharon adds, “In leadership and in life, just because we can do something doesn’t always mean we should. True leadership requires discernment. Not every choice that’s available to us will contribute to our growth, our integrity, or the well-being of those we lead.” She concludes, “Wise leaders consider what’s truly beneficial, not just what’s permissible.”
Innovation as a Lifeline
In a highly competitive world, innovation is essential. And for any social service unit, all of this needs to be done without losing heart. A Second Chance, Inc. has streamlined caregiver support systems and upgraded technology, enabling faster, more effective communication for frontline staff. To better serve families in real time. Their Kinship Navigator model accelerates placement and strengthens family stability. On the other hand, the workforce development initiatives ensure the teams remain skilled, supported, and engaged. These modern approaches ensure that the care provided is both efficacious and compassionate.
Roots That Run Deep
When all is said and done, Dr. Sharon wants her legacy to be defined by the strength of its roots. She believes a leader is only as strong as the values, faith, and principles that equip them withstand change and challenge. Her goal is to leave behind a world where kinship care is the gold standard and every child has a place to belong. For her, “True leadership is not defined by personal achievement alone, but by the systems, cultures, and pathways we build for others to succeed long after we are gone.”
After all, you don’t just build a legacy on tech; you build it on trust.
