URI Press Release in July 2005 features TD Associate Director Sharon Forleo.
The first time Sharon Forleo (then Reynolds) applied to be a part-time tutor for the University of Rhode Island’s Talent Development Program, she was rejected. Not one to be deterred, she kept trying.
In 1974, she was granted an interview with Rev. Arthur Hardge who co-founded the program with Leo DiMaio in 1968 in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The program is designed to give students of color and students from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to attend URI.
At the time of the interview Forleo was a long-term substitute, teaching English to ninth grade boys with behavioral problems.
Asked if she enjoyed her work, she replied: “All they need is a little patience and lots of love.” Hardge hired her on the spot.