FOUNDERS
About Dr. Sharon T. Freeman
Dr. Freeman has one of the broadest and deepest bases of expertise of consultants in the marketplace today. Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Applied Management & Decision Sciences (Walden, 1998), M.S. in Public Policy & Management and two undergraduate degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and several certificates in specialty fields—online instruction, export controls, entrepreneurs & others). Her professional experience has been concentrated in the following areas in both the public and private sectors and through her entrepreneurship and consulting firm ownership:
Ethics & Compliance: Dr. Freeman is an expert on the policies, procedures, practices, systems, and accountability institutions and structures that support ethics and compliance. She is also an expert of developing, leading, and codifying ethics and compliance regimes and served as a Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer for one of the nation’s top 10 USAID implementers for seven years and has been trained in these disciplines through her work as an auditor with the U.S. General Accounting Office, as the Assistant Director of the then Trade & Development Program; and as a Senior Consulting at Booz, Allen & Hamilton.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: For over 30 years, Dr. Freeman has carried out research to identify the barriers that prevent DEI goals from being achieved—in business, boardrooms, procurements, government, GOs, and throughout many ecosystems of the nation—and based on her research has provided cutting edge programs and strategies for overcoming barriers. She has also written several books on such issues, including her latest, Ethics Seen Through the Lens of the Black American Experience: How Does It Look? (2021).
Exporting: Dr. Freeman learned the exporting and importing trade in Hong Kong, where she lived for 12 years where she was in the diplomatic service and subsequently work with a leading manufacturing and trading company, Lark International with which she formed Lark-Horton Global Consulting. She is an expert in export operations as well as in trade policy and has served on the Advisory Board of the US Export Import Bank for two terms and has continuously served as an advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and the US Trade Representative since 1993. She has also advised many countries on developing their export plans, setting their Export Processing Zones, and forming business linkages with US firms. Dr. Freeman also established the All American Small Business Exporters Association (AASBEA) in 1996, which she continues to lead.
Entrepreneurship & Empowerment: Dr. Freeman has worked in 120 countries for leading development institutions (The World Bank, IFC, AfDB, ADB, UN agencies, & USAID) to study and recommend strategies for promoting entrepreneurial growth and the inclusion of SMEs and women. As an author, Dr. Freeman has written many books on selected topics that explain issues and opportunities for promoting growth through entrepreneurship and the empowerment, education, and capacitation of women, youth, and businessowners.
Africa & Asia: Dr. Freeman has worked in 49 African countries in the past three decades and in most Asian countries for over 30 years. In both cases, Dr. Freeman engages in client work that results in putting forth thought leadership and recommendations for the adoption of best-case practice in business and governance.
Qualitative & Quantitative Research: Dr. Freeman has undertaken numerous research projects that have entailed developing survey designs and conducting analyses applying various statistical methods and qualitative studies that entail interviewing, case studies, focus groups, and other approaches in the realms of social and economic impact studies for clients in the public and private sectors.
Dr. Sharon T. Freeman
Gems of Wisdom Consulting Inc. | Dr. Sharon T. FreemanAbout Lisa McClennon
Founder, now emeritus, Lisa McClennon recently retired as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of the Inspector General.
Lisa’s keen depth of expertise in investigations, risk management, and accountability has earned the respect of her peers in enforcement and in international development communities.
Her proven ability to quickly and thoroughly review situations, investigate their root causes, and to recommend appropriate corrective actions to manage matters that have high-stakes impacts are the set of skills that are in high demand by clients for whom failure is not an option.
“Through my 30 years of experience in federal law enforcement and in the Inspector’s General community, I’ve learned first-hand what happens when a global organization’s systems are inadequate to prevent, detect, and investigate fraud and corruption. I also learned the internal controls and best practices to imbed in those systems to greatly reduce instances of fraud in overseas operations,” said Ms. McClennon. With Gems of Wisdom, I look forward to assisting organizations with achieving greater business success in complex operational and regulatory environments, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Ms. McClennon holds a B.A. degree in criminal Justice, a Master’s degree in Human Relations and Business, and has undertaken post graduate work in Urban Policy and Administration. She is also a Certified Fraud Examiner; Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (International); Leading Professional in Ethics and Compliance; and an international speaker on fraud, ethics, and investigations. Over the past 30 years, she has used her education, training, and experience in law enforcement to teach and facilitate anti-fraud/anti-corruption and leadership courses.
