Words have the power to leave a lasting impression. Combined, they can compose legislation, make someone feel invincible, teach children right from wrong or enact change.  

For Sharvon Pipkins Kamaya, that quiet power of the written word called to her.  

As a resource development specialist in the Center for Grants Development (CGD), she uses her pen, or as technology would have it, her keyboard, to show potential investors how their money can change lives.  

Despite raising more than $70 million to support divisions and programs throughout her 16-year career with Harris County Department of Education (HCDE), the impact of our August Employee of the Month can’t be measured in dollars alone.  

“Sharvon is like a hidden figure,” Head Start Senior Director Venetia Peacock said. “You don’t see her at board meetings, and she’s not in my division, but she is a valuable partner to me because she works with such tenacity and integrity.”  

Before she entered the world of grants and funding, Kamaya imagined herself standing before a judge, arguing cases and advocating for environmental safety. Her dreams, however, were quickly altered. 

“I had an internship with Deep South Center for Environmental Justice in New Orleans, where I wrote a grant focused on clean-up efforts in the Gulf Coast region,” she recalled. “It felt so good to advocate on paper instead of with my voice as an attorney. It took my career in a whole new direction.” 

That first grant was a revelation that set Kamaya on a path to leave a lasting impression on her professional and personal life. Over the years, she has helped secure funding for nearly every corner of HCDE.  

“Sharvon does a range of grant proposals,” CGD Director Joyce Akins said. “From large baseline operational and construction grants to cost-of-living adjustments and even the smaller garden grants.” 

Her largest and most consistent focus is Head Start.  

Most recently, she worked with Peacock to draft a nearly 60-page proposal explaining how the division provides newborns to 5-year-olds with a safe learning environment and comprehensive services to families in a childcare desert.  

“We worked for about three months to try and maintain our $13 million operational grant,” Peacock explained. “We were in a competitive bid, going up against anyone in the nation with a Head Start program, so we had to bring our A-game.” 

Their hard work paid off. This summer, Head Start was awarded the federal funding to ensure the division remains operational and available to Harris County families for the next few years.  

“It is a great feeling to know that kids will be served and that Head Start can continue to do great things for these families that are desperate to be self-sufficient,” Kamaya said. 

It’s not the first time she’s helped the division secure transformative funding. Over a decade ago, in 2014, she authored the grant that allowed HCDE to expand its services to open Baytown Early Head Start and partner with several childcare sites. Funding also created new positions to support the program. 

Data Compliance Manager Gino Kamaya was among the newly hired staff. He crossed paths with Sharvon as she sought data for proposals, and what began as a working relationship grew into something more.  

“We would go to lunch and talk about everything under the sun,” she laughed. “We built a great friendship that sparked into a wonderful thing. Eventually, he proposed, and now it’s our great love story.” 

Colleagues were overjoyed about the engagement, calling them “a perfect match,” and hosted a wedding shower ahead of their nuptials.  

Added Peacock: “I was so surprised when I heard that they were engaged! I didn’t know they were even dating, but I was so happy that two of my favorite people were getting married. They are so well-suited for each other and are such snazzy dressers. They are a cute couple.” 

Sharvon began to set the foundation for her own family while working to grow that of HCDE’s. She secured funding for Special Schools to promote hands-on learning by developing gardens that allow students to explore, grow and connect with nature in a therapeutic setting. She wrote construction proposals that helped bring new, modern facilities like Coolwood Head Start to life. She’s also improved student physical wellness with funding for new playground equipment and enhanced outdoor areas.  

“With every division that we work with, we get an opportunity to see how those proposals come to life, and know that we are responsible for that,” Akins said. “It warms your heart when we see kids on the playground or get deliveries from the gardens we helped fund. We are quite literally seeing the fruits of our labor.”  

Her commitment to HCDE didn’t slow down, even as Kamaya prepared to welcome a new addition to her family. She was pregnant and deep into another Head Start expansion proposal, spending weeks researching, writing and collaborating with colleagues to build a compelling application. She went into labor the same day she submitted the proposal. 

“It was an experience, that was for sure – but well worth it,” Kamaya laughed.  

The Kamayas welcomed a daughter, Ariyah, and soon learned HCDE was awarded funding to open Early Head Start programs at Barrett Station and Humble.  

“The smaller grants only take a day or two, but the expansion grants are very comprehensive. They give you 60 days to submit the proposal on purpose,” Kamaya explained. “Success comes when you explain exactly where the funder’s money is going and that they want to be on board because HCDE aligns with their mission, showing them where and how they can make a difference in the community.”  

That’s where Kamaya finds the magic—not in the countless families she impacts or the shipments of home-grown food, but in the words that describe HCDE.  

“I love bringing HCDE to life on paper,” she smiled. “Being able to express what our staff and programs are doing throughout the community is a blessing. We are making a difference in the lives of the people we serve, and advocating for our programs’ needs is my favorite part.”  

No matter the space, Kamaya’s work shapes the environment where students learn and grow without ever stepping into it. 

“We work really hard to keep things going for all of the divisions,” Akins explained. “We are experiencing some changes in government funding, but we are determined to ensure the continuation of HCDE programs, and Sharvon is an instrumental part of that effort. We are lucky to have her.”