Sharon Malheiro

Sharon Malheiro is board president at the Davis Brown Law Firm. She practices employment law, including employment discrimination litigation, EEO/AA and corporate employment policies and practices; and media and communications law, including open records and meetings litigation as well as defamation defense actions. 

Sharon was appointed by the Iowa Supreme Court to serve on their Task Force on Gender and Racial Bias in the Judicial System, and was asked to stay on as a member of the Monitoring Committee, to make sure the Task Force recommendations are carried out. Sharon is AV rated and has served on the on the boards of Family Futures Network, a day care for homeless children; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa; and Polk County Women Attorneys.

Sharon is an advocate for civil rights issues relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, and was instrumental in coordinating with Lamba Legal to introduce Varnum v. Brien, the case that brought marriage equality to Iowa.

In addition to serving as One Iowa's board chair, she provides pro bono legal counsel for the Aids Project of Central Iowa, and is one of the cooperating attorneys for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. She is former President of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Community Center of Central Iowa, and was a charter member of Lambda Beta Nu, Des Moines’ first lesbian breakfast club.

Sharon recently married Sue Ackerman, her partner of 20 years.