Meet Booz Allen's 2023 Volunteer of the Year

In 2011, Sharnae Smith was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic and currently incurable disease that can be debilitating and even deadly.

The diagnosis changed her. But more importantly, it has not held her back. “My illness is a motivator,” Sharnae says. “When I was first diagnosed, I was scared and didn’t know much about the disease. I want to make sure that no one else ever feels the way I felt.”

In 2023, Booz Allen named Sharnae its Volunteer of the Year, recognizing her efforts to bring awareness, financial support, and medical solutions to those in need. Read on for highlights about Sharnae’s service, her life at the firm, and where she gets her inspiration.

Helping people has been a constant thread through Sharnae’s life. Her commitment to helping others has taken many forms, from working as a student counselor at the University of Memphis to volunteering at the city’s homeless shelters and helping voters with disabilities get to the polls at election time.

This dedication took a highly personal turn in 2018 when she founded the Memphis Lupus Support Group at the Neshoba Community Resource Center in Memphis, Tennessee.

“I wanted to create an organization here in Memphis that can be a beacon of light to those that are newly diagnosed or even those that have been diagnosed as long as I have,” she says. “It’s a place for people to share personal experiences and feelings, coping strategies, or firsthand information about diseases or treatments.”

As president and CEO of the support group, Sharnae has hosted fundraisers to help lupus patients with their expenses. She has also been involved in projects like the Deep South Health Equity Project. It aims to raise awareness about lupus and clinical trials in the African American community and to use data to help researchers be better advocates for lupus patients.

Sharnae’s role in the support group also takes her on the road to Nashville and Washington, DC, to advocate for chronically ill patients. In one recent win that Sharnae and the lupus community at large have been advocating for, the Lupus Foundation of America and the University of Alabama now have an opportunity to conduct a clinical trial for African-American lupus patients in the states of Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi, and Kentucky to better understand the effects that medications have on lupus patients.

“It took years and tears, and there were moments when I wanted to quit,” Sharnae says. “But our grant was finally approved, and about 1,500 people signed up for our clinical trials.”

For the past several months, Sharnae has balanced this volunteer work with her job at Booz Allen, supporting the firm’s work for the Department of Defense in Memphis.

“It’s flexible enough to let me do volunteer work, and it’s a job I’m passionate about,” she says of her role at Booz Allen.

In addition, the firm’s extensive benefits and accommodations for people with disabilities have been especially meaningful for Sharnae. “Booz Allen has every piece of information you need for disability accommodations,” she says.

“Being part of the Booz Allen family has been great,” she says. “The firm is supportive—letting me be me.”

“Sharnae has turned her pain into purpose, taking her experience with chronic illness and turning it into good for others,” says Christine Hoisington, director of Community Impact and Philanthropy at Booz Allen. “We are proud of the impact she is making in her community and the generosity that she inspires in us all.”

So, who is Sharnae’s inspiration? “My mom is my biggest supporter,” she says. “After I was diagnosed, she dropped everything to be by my side. To this day, she prays for me and gives me advice. She’s my best friend. Whenever I need anything, my mom is there.”

Her advice to others interested in volunteering: “If you want to do volunteer work, make sure it is something you’re passionate about. Don’t expect praise—do it to make the world a better place.”

“Be happy, be giving, and be kind,” Sharnae adds. “We need more people in this world to be kind.”