SOAH Board Candidates & Vote by Proxy
Candidate #1
Sharon Gail Hecht Kanter
Sharon Gail Hecht Kanter is an experienced educational leader, advocate for student achievement, and community volunteer with more than 35 years of service in public education. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to educational equity, leadership development, and ensuring that all students have opportunities to succeed.
Sharon spent 35 years with Baltimore City Public Schools, serving as a teacher, guidance counselor, department chair, assistant principal, principal, and Area Academic Officer overseeing 15 high schools serving more than 11,000 students. From 2009 to 2012, she served as Superintendent of the Milford School District in Delaware, where she helped advance districtwide efforts to close achievement gaps and improve academic outcomes. During her tenure, all seven district schools met Adequate Yearly Progress goals, including a high school that had previously struggled to meet those benchmarks. She later coached and mentored school leaders in Seaford and Dover, helping leadership teams strengthen school improvement efforts.
Sharon holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and Sociology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a Master of Science in Guidance and Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. Her professional credentials include advanced certification in school administration and supervision.
Beyond her professional career, Sharon has dedicated herself to community service. She serves on the Rehoboth Beach Women’s Softball League Board and participates in Speak Out Against Hate’s School Officials Action Group. Her volunteer experience also includes work with the Stonewall Museum and Archives, Meals on Wheels, Beebe Healthcare, and local youth and community organizations.
Sharon’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to education, inclusion, and strengthening the communities she serves.
Candidate #2
Patty Maloney
Patty Maloney is President of Speak Out Against Hate (SOAH), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in Sussex County, Delaware, dedicated to confronting hate, prejudice, and discrimination while promoting dignity, equality, and inclusion. She is also Co-Chair of SOAH’s Youth & School Officials Action Group and serves on many of SOAH's committees, is a Reader with Read Aloud Delaware, and is a current member and past Secretary of the Friends of Killens Pond Park.
A Milford resident since 2020, Patty retired after nearly 30 years in the Montgomery County, Maryland, public school system, where she advanced from Lunch and Recess Aide to Math and Science Instructional Assistant and ultimately College and Career Coordinator at Seneca Valley High School. Her career reflected a lifelong commitment to education and student success.
Through her leadership of SOAH, Patty champions social justice, community engagement, and youth leadership through educational programs, student internships, scholarships, and advocacy initiatives. She believes that meaningful change begins when people speak out against hate and work together to build a more inclusive community.
Patty is married, has three adult children, and is the proud grandmother of seven grandchildren.
Candidate #3
Shawn Selby
Shawn Selby is a youth development leader, community advocate, and education professional dedicated to helping young people discover pathways to college, careers, and lifelong success. She currently serves as Senior Vice President of Programming, Recruitment & Strategic Partnerships at Delaware Futures, where she leads initiatives supporting middle and high school students across Kent County through mentoring, workforce readiness, college access, and family engagement programming.
With more than a decade of experience working directly with youth and families, Shawn also serves as a Teen Director with the Boys & Girls Club and collaborates closely with schools, community organizations, legislators, and local businesses to remove barriers facing students including housing instability, transportation, and financial hardship. Her work centers on building partnerships that connect education to real-world opportunities.
Shawn holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wesley College and a Master’s degree in Administration of Justice from Wilmington University. She serves on the Smyrna School District Advisory Board and the Smyrna-Clayton Rotary Scholarship Committee and frequently leads community initiatives focused on workforce development, leadership, and student success.
As Mrs. Smyrna 2025–2026, Shawn’s platform, Crown Meets Community, promotes youth empowerment, mentorship, and service. Married for 28 years and the proud mother of twin sons, she believes leadership is measured not by title but by impact helping every young person see a future bigger than their circumstances and giving them the tools to reach it.
Vote by Proxy