About Sharon
Sharon El-Amin is a proven public servant, executive leader, and longtime North Minneapolis resident with more than three decades of experience building solutions at the community, institutional, and systems level. Sharon moved to Minnesota in 1991 and has lived in North Minneapolis for over 35 years, where she raised her children, built a small business, and developed a deep, lived understanding of what it means to show up for community. She is a mother of three, a proud grandmother of four, and has been married to her husband for 34 years. As the wife of the imam at Masjid An-Nur, Sharon has helped lead community-wide efforts rooted in service, including feeding families and organizing large-scale social programs. Her leadership is grounded in faith, family, and a deep commitment to public service.
Sharon is currently serving in her second term as School Board Director for District 2 in North Minneapolis and previously served as chair of the board. In this role, she has overseen complex budgets, strengthened governance practices, and advanced equity-focused policies that center student success, accountability, and transparency. Her experience on a large public board has prepared her to lead at the county level, where collaboration and fiscal responsibility are essential. Sharon also serves as the Executive Director of McKinley Community, where she manages operations, partnerships, and programs focused on public safety, food access, environmental stewardship, and community healing. Under her leadership, McKinley Community supports four community gardens, including a Native Healing Forest, and provides fresh, healthy food to families across North Minneapolis. Across every role, she brings executive management experience, budget oversight, and cross-sector partnership building to deliver real results for families and communities.
This race comes at a critical moment. The county is falling behind from a consistent lack of attention and engagement. When serious financial challenges in our hospitals only come into focus after years of oversight, it raises real concerns about accountability. When the board schedules more than four months without meeting, it signals a lack of urgency at a time when families are working overtime just to keep up with rising costs, housing instability, and real public safety concerns. District 2 deserves better than leadership that reacts late or steps back when the work demands more. We deserve a commissioner who is present, accessible, and fully engaged every single day. Someone who pays attention early, stays at the table when decisions get tough, and treats this role like the full-time responsibility it is. Sharon El-Amin offers that change: leadership rooted in the community, grounded in lived experience, and focused on delivering real results for the people of Hennepin County.