Sharon Bonney

Sharon Bonney Sharon Bonney is the Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), the nation’s leading organization representing adult education. Since 2009, she has led COABE’s growth from 1,300 members to more than 100,000 educators across 2,300 local programs serving 3.2 million learners nationwide. 

Under her leadership, COABE has developed the world’s largest adult education conference, built strategic partnerships with more than 100 national, state, and workforce organizations, and launched award-winning initiatives to elevate the field. These include the Educate and Elevate public awareness campaign, which generated over 250,000 policymaker contacts, and Move Ahead With Adult Ed, a national recovery effort that significantly increased post-pandemic learner engagement. 

Mrs. Bonney is widely recognized as a leading voice advancing adult education as a critical component of the nation’s talent pipeline.