Originally from Winnipeg, Sharyn has always been interested in different languages and cultures. After completing a degree in Linguistics and French, she worked in business for 6 years before beginning a master's degree in Christian Studies at Regent College, Vancouver. While there, she attended Urbana and began exploring mission opportunities, joining Wycliffe in 1986.

In 1989, Sharyn moved to Burkina Faso, West Africa where she served in several support roles before joining the Buamu language project. She served as linguist, exegete and project leader until that project transitioned to national leadership in 2009. She continued to support the team in an advisory capacity while pursuing further training in linguistics until the New Testament was completed in 2011.

From 2012 through to September 2022, Sharyn served in several different leadership roles in Francophone West Africa, completing her service there as general director for the work of SIL (a partner organization of Wycliffe Canada) in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Niger.

Sharyn joined the leadership team of Wycliffe Canada in January 2023, serving as interim president until October 2023. She currently serves as senior executive advisor to the president and senior leadership team. In this role, she provides prayerful and strategic counsel to the team with a particular focus on policy. Sharyn also continues to support the Buamu translation team, now working on the Old Testament through ongoing linguistic research and work on a Buamu-French-Jula-English dictionary.

While Sharyn’s roots are in Winnipeg, Vancouver is now her Canadian home.