Sheila Olivares, Director of Special Projects
I joined Bideawee in February 2006 after working at small grant-making foundations in NYC. During my tenure, I have served as Board liaison and Executive Assistant to the President & CEO and the senior management team ever since. My special projects portfolio at Bideawee has covered areas ranging from Board governance to operational policies and procedures. Working with a variety of management teams, I have worked with every department at Bideawee, facilitating the creation or updating of policies and procedures needed to their operations. Along the way, I have learned a great deal about animal welfare, a cause that was largely unknown to me before coming to Bideawee. There is nothing more rewarding than working for those who have no voice, like the cats and dogs in need that Bideawee rescues every day. I came to New York as a Fulbright scholar and graduated with honors from the New School for Social Research with MA and PhD degrees in Sociology. I also earned a BA in Sociology at the Universidad Centroamericana in Managua, Nicaragua, where I was valedictorian of the 1987 graduating class. After an initial stay in NJ, I have lived in Brooklyn since 1992, and now consider the borough home.