Sharon Carr ’73 has never followed a straight line. Instead, her career reads like a series of intentional turns — each shaped by curiosity, courage, and a willingness to pause, reflect, and begin again.
“I’m an open book,” Carr said, a statement that neatly captures both her candor and her approach to life.
Carr graduated from Denison in 1973, a moment she situated firmly in its historical context. “We all live in the context of our time,” she said, recalling a period marked by political upheaval, the Vietnam War, and the growing women’s movement. For women entering the workforce, choices were limited — and expectations even more so.
That reality did not stop Carr. After time overseas and an early theater background, she unexpectedly entered the world of finance and security printing, becoming “the first woman in the 200-year history of that industry” at the American Bank Note Company. Over nearly two decades, she rose to the top of a male-dominated field, honing skills that would later prove transferable in surprising ways.
Still, Carr knew when it was time to leave. After building and selling a successful consulting business in anti-counterfeiting technologies, she found herself at another crossroads.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I decided to experiment,” she said.
That spirit of experimentation eventually led to Broadway — almost by accident.
“You see something, and your heart just swells,” Carr said of her first true producing experience.
What followed was a producing career that included acclaimed and groundbreaking productions, among them The Scottsboro Boys, a show she describes as deeply personal. After an off-Broadway performance, Carr recalled a moment she will never forget: “My sister came to see it… turned to me, and said, ‘Dad would have been so proud.’”
After years immersed in theater, Carr made another bold decision — to stop. Following her father’s death, she took what she describes as an intentional pause. “I wanted to revisit my past, in the present, to figure out my future,” she said. That decision led her on a six-month journey through Europe and Israel, including extended stays in Paris, volunteer work in the Negev Desert, and travel across Italy and the United Kingdom.
“The trip itself was life-changing,” Carr said.
That pause ultimately sparked her next act. Relationships formed during her travels became the foundation for American Concierge, a Paris-based travel experience company designed to help travelers engage more deeply with place and culture. What began as an idea soon became a thriving business.
“It just opened my eyes to the possibility of extra income,” she said, reflecting on how the experience reshaped her thinking about work, sustainability, and creativity.
Today, Carr continues to balance entrepreneurship with producing, most recently as a producer of Little Dancer, a new musical inspired by Edgar Degas’ iconic sculpture.
At 75, Carr remains energized by possibility. “I just turned 75 and I’m not retired yet,” she said.
Her story — full of pivots, pauses, and purpose — offers a powerful reminder that reinvention is not only possible, but often necessary. As Carr has shown time and again, living unscripted can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
