Sharon M. McDonald, Norfolk’s Commissioner of Revenue, is the first woman ever elected to a Norfolk Constitutional Office.  She began her first term in January 1998. 

Sharon is the Immediate Past President for the Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia, and is the former chair of that organization’s Career Development Committee.  In 2006, the Commissioners’ Association honored Sharon with the Sam T. Barfield Award for Excellence in recognition of her many contributions to that organization.  She has earned the designation of Master Commissioner of Revenue. 

Sharon is a two-time Gubernatorial appointee, having been appointed by Gov. Warner to the Virginia Commission on the Status of Women and by Gov. Kaine to the Virginia Public Building Authority. In addition, Sharon has served as a board member for Lake Taylor Community Hospital, a trustee of Leadership Hampton Roads, and is a charter graduate of both Leadership Hampton Roads and the Civic Leadership Institute.  She is an Elder at First Presbyterian Church, and is a member of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.  She is the Treasurer for the Norfolk Education Foundation, and is a member of the Norfolk Regional Board of Directors for Old Point National Bank.  She is an active member of the Colonial Place / Riverview Civic League, and a Lifetime member of the Norfolk NAACP.  She served on the  Board of the Hurrah Players, and on the Board for the Rotary Club of Norfolk.  She also supports her children’s many activities through her involvement in various programs at Maury High School.   

She has served as president of the Woman’s Political Caucus, served for several years as the finance chair for the Norfolk City Democratic Committee. She also served as the Chair of the Local Elected Association of Democrats (LEAD) for the Democratic Party of Virginia.  In 2000, Sharon was recognized by the Democratic Party of Virginia as a “Rising Star.”   

As Norfolk Commissioner of the Revenue, Sharon has successfully streamlined office procedures and improved operational efficiency and customer service.  She has identified and generated over $35 million in additional revenue for the City since taking office in 1998.  Most recently, she became the first Commissioner in Hampton Roads to implement DMV Select Services in her office.  

Sharon is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, and holds an MBA, summa cum laude, from Old Dominion University.  Prior to her election as Commissioner of the Revenue, Sharon had a distinguished career in commercial banking.  She served as a Vice President at Crestar Bank and First American Bank of Virginia, and was an Assistant Vice President of First Virginia Bank of Tidewater.  After retiring from the banking industry, Sharon and her husband Dave founded the Mediation Center of Hampton Roads, a firm specializing in mediation and arbitration services for businesses, public agencies and individuals.   

Sharon and Dave live in the Colonial Place neighborhood of Norfolk and have two daughters, Marlee and Madison (“Madie”).