Polk, Sharon Madison

Sharon Madison Polk is chairman of the board of Madison Madison International of Michigan, Inc. Since its founding in 1954, the company has offered architectural, engineering and planning services. Ms. Polk joined the family business in 1978 and became company president in 1987. In 1988 under her leadership, the firm expanded its capabilities to specialize in program construction management and transportation consulting. Her outstanding leadership of this award-winning company has garnered her national acclaim. She has been named one of the Top 25 Women Business Owners by the National Association of Women Business Owners. She’s been recognized as an Outstanding Minority Entrepreneur in the Business of Construction, named one of the Top 10 to Watch for Southeastern Michigan by the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce and recognized by Crain’s Business magazine as one of the Most Influential Women of 2002 and one of the Top 100 Black Business Leaders of 1998. She is actively involved in the Detroit community, especially in the arts and culture, serving as chairperson of Friends of African and African-American Art and as a board member of the Detroit Institute of Arts. She is a board member of the Downtown Development Authority, the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., the Michigan Coalition of Human Rights and the National Women’s Business Council.