Sharon Simkiss Merhige ’86: A Lifetime of Leadership, Legacy and Impact

Sharon Simkiss Merhige ’86 has always been driven by a sense of purpose and leadership — a quality she traces back to her formative years at The Baldwin School. Recently retired as the General Counsel of Simkiss & Block, a full-service insurance brokerage and risk management firm, Sharon’s professional journey spans decades of accomplishments. Her career, including a previous role as an associate at Swartz Campbell, LLC in Philadelphia, reflects her legal expertise and commitment to service and community.

 

In addition to her professional success, Sharon has remained deeply connected to Baldwin. She has supported the School in numerous ways since her time as a student, where she was honored with The Baldwin Award her senior year. Her contributions include her current position as Secretary of the Board of Trustees. She has also served on her reunion committee and participated in the 2018 campaign feasibility study and campaign planning group. Sharon also served nine years on the Board of Trustees at The Haverford School, where she chaired the Trusteeship Committee and co-chaired the Leadership Counsel.

 

Reflecting on her time at Baldwin, Sharon shares that the School was a formative force that shaped who she is today. "Baldwin gave me the skills to believe in myself and to succeed," she said. "I started Baldwin as a very shy five-year-old Kindergartner and graduated 13 years later with the confidence that I could achieve any goal I set for myself."

 

Sharon’s Baldwin experience was not just about academic rigor but also about embracing all the opportunities the School had to offer — whether in the classroom, the arts or athletics. "I was always busy embracing everything about Baldwin — immersed in classes by day, exploring the creative arts and running across the athletic fields after school," she recalled. "The academic work was rigorous, but it was matched by a nurturing community that made every student feel valued."

 

It was Baldwin’s unique combination of challenge and support that left a lasting impression on Sharon. "Our teachers challenged us in the best possible way, pushing us beyond our comfort zones and revealing what we were truly capable of," she said. "With their guidance, we gained not just knowledge but also the resilience to face any obstacle head-on without giving up."

 

The lessons Sharon learned at Baldwin didn’t just prepare her for earning degrees at both Trinity College and Temple University — they laid the foundation for a career that has spanned leadership positions in the legal and risk management fields. "We learned to think critically, to articulate our ideas confidently and to write with clarity and purpose," Sharon explained. "Most importantly, Baldwin taught us that our voices mattered. We were always encouraged to speak up and be heard — a lesson in empowerment that has stayed with me ever since."

 

Beyond academics and professional development, Baldwin instilled in Sharon a sense of community and sisterhood that has endured throughout her life. "Baldwin gave me a sisterhood that lasts a lifetime," she said. "The friends I made there are still, to this day, among the most important people in my world. Whenever we reunite, it feels like not a day has passed. We pick up right where we left off — our laughter just as loud and our bond just as strong."

 

Sharon’s connection to Baldwin also runs deep in the School’s cherished traditions, which have become a touchstone for her as she looks back on her years as a student. "As a Lower School student, I looked forward to the full-school assemblies when the entire student body, from the youngest Kindergartners to the poised seniors, gathered together as one," Sharon said. "Each tradition, from those uniform milestones to the songs and ceremonies, made me feel part of a legacy much larger than myself."

Sharon’s pride in Baldwin was evident when she returned to campus last year for Commencement. "I found myself instantly transported back to my own graduation in 1986," she said. "The spectacular student speakers still inspired the crowd, and the school song echoed joyfully through the air just as it had decades before. Baldwin’s traditions had linked us across generations."

 

As her 40th reunion approaches next year, Sharon looks back on her Baldwin education with profound gratitude. "I loved my days at Baldwin, but I realize now that, as an 18-year-old graduate, I was too young to fully appreciate the magnitude of the gifts this School gave me," she admitted. "With the perspective of time, I am more grateful than ever for my Baldwin education and the early leadership opportunities that helped me grow."

 

As both an alumna and a trustee, Sharon continues to support Baldwin’s mission and future. "I believe it is critical that our School continues to evolve with the changing world our graduates will face, all while staying true to its core mission of developing talented girls into confident young women," she said. "Nothing would make me prouder than to see the School that gave me my voice continue to thrive and empower new generations of girls to find their own voices, just as I did."

 

Sharon’s career and life reflect the very values Baldwin instilled in her: leadership, service and a deep commitment to the community. Whether in her professional work, her dedication to Baldwin or her role as a mother to two sons, Peter and Will, who graduated from The Haverford School, Sharon’s influence has reached far beyond Baldwin’s gates. But at the heart of it all, she remains deeply connected to the School that shaped her into the confident, compassionate leader she is today.