Michael Sharkey

Michael Sharkey

Nonpartisan

Scottsdale Unified Governing Board At-large

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

1

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Shaker High School

Bachelor's

Lafayette College, 1992

Graduate

University of Arizona, 1996

Personal

Birthplace

Albany, NY

Profession

Technology professional

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Michael Sharkey is an at-large member of the Scottsdale Unified Governing Board in Arizona. He assumed office on January 1, 2025. His current term ends on January 1, 2029.

Sharkey ran for election for an at-large seat of the Scottsdale Unified Governing Board in Arizona. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Sharkey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Michael Sharkey was born in Albany, New York. He earned a high school diploma from Shaker High School, a bachelor's degree from Lafayette College in 1992, and a graduate degree from the University of Arizona in 1996. Sharkey's career experience includes working as a technology professional for universities, an educational technology company, and his own software company.

Elections

2024

See also: Scottsdale Unified School District, Arizona, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Scottsdale Unified Governing Board At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Scottsdale Unified Governing Board At-large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Donna Lewis (Nonpartisan)	18.9	56,097
✔		Matthew Pittinsky (Nonpartisan)	17.8	52,961
✔		Michael Sharkey (Nonpartisan)	17.6	52,355
	Submit photo	Jeanne Beasley (Nonpartisan)	15.8	46,850
		Gretchen Jacobs (Nonpartisan)	15.5	46,000
		Drew Hassler (Nonpartisan)	14.3	42,422
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	563

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 297,248
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Michael Sharkey received the following endorsements and voter guide recommendations.

• Save Our Schools Arizona

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Sharkey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sharkey's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a husband, father, educational technologist, and someone who believes in the power of public education. I was born and raised in Albany, New York and I’ve spent the last 24 years of my life living, working, and raising a family in Scottsdale, Arizona. Much of my life revolves around education. I’ve worked professionally in higher education for the last 20+ years, my wife is a retired college consultant, and I have been a mentor for my local high school robotics team for the past 8 years. I believe that a strong public education system is the key to a thriving community. Scottsdale schools have been good to me and my family, and I want to dedicate my efforts to continue to make our schools the top choice for parents.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My two other slate candidate partners and I are by far the most experienced educational professionals running for the SUSD governing board in 2024. Our experiences include district superintendent, educational entrepreneurship, and higher education leadership. While there are minimal requirements for governing board candidates, we have put together an incredibly experienced team that will be an asset to SUSD’s students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
• I pledge to do the three things a governing board member is elected to do:

  - Oversee the performance of the district superintendent - Approve the budget and related financial duties

  - Establish and approve policies
• I am a problem solver and a collaborator. If there are issues that are brought to the board, I will work collaboratively with my fellow board members to solve the problem as best we can. I will listen to input from students, parents, and others who have valid insights on the problems we’re trying to address

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that states should work to support a healthy and well-funded public education system. I am in favor of school choice as long as all parties are subject to the same rules. I believe that funding a strong public school system provides opportunities for all children of all social and economic backgrounds

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I delivered newspapers in my neighborhood when I was about 12-15 years old. I was the stereotypical paperboy riding his bike and throwing newspapers on customers' driveways early in the morning. I did that for about three years, which means I endured a few humid summers and snowy winters of upstate New York throughout my tenure.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

1) Oversee the performance of the district superintendent

2) Approve the budget and related financial duties 3) Establish and approve policies

It's also important to note that a school board member does not implement policy, nor does the board member manage the day-to-day operations of the school district (https://azsba.org/resources/becoming-a-board-member/duties/)

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

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Footnotes

Capital: Phoenix

Arizona

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