Sheryle Bolton (A)

This vignette chronicles how the birth of Sheryle Bolton’s second son with a life threatening illness made Bolton reconsider her professional ambitions. Her son’s misfortune had grounded Bolton in the belief that whatever she did professionally had to serve society. As a result, Bolton quit her successful career as an investment banker. Several years later, Bolton and her husband discussed her career options at their oldest son’s soccer game. Bolton had just received an offer from a venture capital fund for an $8 million investment in a business plan that targeted the consumer health information service space. She had been offered the CEO position in a start up that was developing a product that helped children who were poor readers become good readers. Bolton and her husband paced around the soccer field as they considered the pros and cons of each option.