Sherley L. Spears is the founder of the San Angelo NAACP Buffalo Soldier Memorial.  She is the 2019-2022 past President of the San Angelo NAACP, Assistant Secretary of the Texas NAACP State Conference, Audit Chair; Vice Chair of Health Committee (2022-2023; and 2022 Vice Chair of the Texas NAACP State Convention.

Ms. Spears is originally from Fort Worth, TX.  She has been a part of the work of the NAACP since she was a young girl growing up during the Civil Rights Era of the 1960’s and has always had a heart for service and empowerment for Black people and others who are disenfranchised.   

• Ms. Spears holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Dallas Baptist University, and a Masters Certification in IT Software Development Project Management from George Washington University. 

• She spent more than 30 years in the telecommunications industry with increasing areas of responsibility, retiring in 2004 as a senior manager in Information Technology.

• On a local basis, Ms. Spears is a business owner of nearly 20 years as an Independent Real Estate Broker and owner of a Real Estate Brokerage firm.  She is the first Black Real Estate Broker in the city of San Angelo, Texas. 

• She created a history development company that focuses on Black History of Black American accomplishments from the western part of Texas.  This organization publishes a periodic magazine providing important and often forgotten history. 

• She serves in various consulting roles throughout the state working in the areas of leadership development, project management and history. 

  • She served as a member of the Board of Directors of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, where she was honored in 2021 as “Chairman of the Year”, for her dedication and work in diversity, equity inclusion, and where she presented the resolution that was later approved to include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a part of business policy throughout the business community.  She has chaired the Diversity Committee for several years where she has promoted training and business opportunities for Black owned and minority owned businesses and created the Business directory for Black Owned businesses in San Angelo.  In 2022, Ms. Spears was honored by the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce Diversity Committee with the Community Impact Award for her work and influence with diversity in the city as a business leader.

  • As a leader, Ms. Spears is a 2017 graduate of Leadership San Angelo, and continues to serve as a member of the Leadership San Angelo Alumni group and the Chamber Diversity Committee

• She is the President of the National Historic Landmark Fort Concho Museum Board where she uses her place at the table to increase awareness of the Buffalo Soldier History at the fort.

• In 2020, she received a vision to create a memorial to honor the men of the 9th & 10th Cavalry and the 24th & 25th Infantry of the U.S. Army, which is recognized as original regiments of what has become known as the Buffalo Soldiers.  She is in the process of erecting the memorial where she has organized a diverse group of local leaders, internationally known authors and esteemed Buffalo Soldier living history presenters.  To date, the project has raised nearly $500K and has plans to launch the project by late spring or early summer 2023.    

• Ms. Spears is a board member of the San Angelo Association of Realtors

• Recently, she was selected to head up the Central West Texas Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc., and has been involved with the founding of 3 other clubs in Texas and Louisiana- New Orleans, Austin, and Waco.

• Founding member of the Minority Alliance Network Organization (MANO)

• Her community advocacy has also involved leading a petition against the city to install restrooms at Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Park, and has recently secured over $270K so that the restrooms can be installed and maintained by the city of San Angelo. 

Ms. Spears is an advocate for social justice and works to ensure a place at the table in areas where members of the Black community and other minorities are disenfranchised in areas of health, voting rights, economic development, and social justice.  While serving in these various positions, she identifies other community members to step in during or after her service, always focusing on keeping the Black community and the NAACP present and relevant.