Chicago North Shore Moms had the pleasure of chatting with the lovely, high-spirited and hard working, volunteer-driven Highland Park attorney mom of two boys. From her day job in public finance law, to volunteering her time to improve local schools, suffice it to say that Sharone is dedicated to making a positive impact in communities near and far. In this spotlight, Sharone shares her zig zagged career journey, favorite North Shore spots where she mainly sticks to her town of Highland Park, and her passion for education and community service. Read on to learn more about how Sharone balances career, family, and giving back—all while perfecting her chocolate chip banana bread!
Hi Sharone! Please introduce yourself.
Hi, I’m Sharone Levy Marck. I grew up one train stop south of where I live now, in northwest Glencoe. After living in various parts of the U.S. and short stints abroad, I returned to Chicago to be close to family and because it’s an amazing city. My husband and I moved to the Braeside neighborhood of Highland Park from Rogers Park when our oldest was 2. Like many other young families we wanted more space and easy access to great schools and public amenities. We liked Highland Park for its downtown and proximity to the City (where we both worked), the Lake, the Green Bay Trail, Botanic Gardens and Ravinia.
Tell us about your family – humans and fur friends.
Jason and I have been together almost 18 years and still manage to crack each other up on a daily basis. Our oldest is 13 and about to finish middle school. Our youngest is 10 and in 4th grade. Our pets are both rescues – a mixed breed dog named Louie and an orange tabby named Bamba. Both kids love to read, bake, play Nintendo and make (lots of) noise. Jason’s parents, my mom, and my brother and his family live nearby, which is really nice, especially because my nieces are the same ages as my boys.
What are some fun facts to know about you?
I’m fluent in Spanish and love to travel.
My kids are trying to teach me how not to run into walls while navigating Hogwarts Legacy.
I love singing and playing the ukulele but have more enthusiasm than talent.
I make amazing chocolate chip banana bread.
I can vouch for your banana bread!
We love a good rec. What are your favorite North Shore places to spend with the family?
We are all big readers and love going to the Highland Park Library to check out something new. In the summer we love going to Ravinia Festival and Rosewood Beach. We are also big walkers and love wandering around different neighborhoods with our dog or finding a new Lake County Forest Preserve to explore.
Where do you love to eat around town?
It’s important to us to support locally owned businesses. I grew up eating at Michael’s and love that my kids love their cheese fries as much as I do.Other family favorites are: Ami and Mean Weiner in Highwood; Backyard Grill, NY Slices and Country Kitchen for delicious brunch in downtown Highland Park; Mil Colibris Bakery and Cafe and Steep Ravine Brewing Company in the Ravinia district.
For date nights we love Disotto in Highwood and Abigail’s in Ravinia.
You can often find me with a latte and my laptop at Astra Coffee in Ravinia or Tala in Highwood.
What are you reading and watching?
I’m working my way through Sarah Maas’s Throne of Glass Series and am also trying to finish Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen by Michelle Icard. My younger son and I are reading $150,000 Rugelach by Allison Marks from PJ Our Way.
Right now I’m watching Only Murders in the Building with my older son, America’s Got Talent with my younger son and The Night Agent with my husband. Our current family show is Arrested Development.
What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that’s guided you?
My dad was the most positive person I’ve ever known, always finding the good in any situation, never saying a bad word about anything or anyone. I miss him every day and I try to bring his love of life, and his sense of adventure to my kids, because that’s an amazing way to live.
What are you doing when you’re not bopping around Highland Park and Highwood?
My day job is a public finance attorney, which basically means that I help organizations like hospitals, universities and other nonprofits borrow money to fund capital projects like new student dorms or a new hospital. In the past I’ve also worked with local governments, like school districts and park districts, in a similar role. I can read government financial audits like nobody’s business!
That’s interesting! What type of background do you need to do this type of work?
I like to think of it as a happy accident because I basically fell into this practice area. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a sociology degree, I moved to Springfield for a year-long fellowship in Illinois Governor Jim Edgar’s administration. During my senior year at Penn I had interned with Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell’s office and had interned in D.C. with my congressman the summer after graduation so I jumped at the opportunity to gain policy experience on a statewide level in my home state.
My plan at the end of the fellowship was to start law school, but I decided to take another year to work and save money. I like to joke that I worked five jobs for five months to save $5,000, but that’s basically what happened.
After graduating from the University of Iowa College of Law I moved back to Chicago and practiced law for a few years before returning to school to earn a Masters in Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago.A friend from grad school was working at a credit rating agency and he convinced me to join him, which was my first step into the world of public finance.A few years later I decided to return to practicing law and was fortunate to join a firm that excelled in public finance.
17 years have passed since then and I haven’t looked back!
Your experience in public policy must have had a huge impact on your understanding of the needs of diverse communities. Tell us about your local volunteerism.
Before the pandemic I joined the Board of Directors of the Chicago Children’s Theatre. In addition to putting on wonderful productions, CCT runs amazing programs for kids with autism (The Red Kite Project) and hosts field trips for kids from across Chicago so they can experience the theater. At the end of my term I decided that I wanted to focus my experience, dedication and passion closer to home. When I heard that two current members of the 112 school board were not running for reelection I decided that now would be a good time for me to run.
Shortly after we moved to Highland Park I became interested in the elementary schools and the operation of the school district. As a working mom with a job in the City, it was important to me that the schools welcomed dual working families, especially in connection with before and after school care and school events. I started paying close attention to the workings of the school board, especially following the upheaval of the failed middle school referendum. There was a lot of disagreement amongst the board members and the community, and a lot of turnover in the administration. Over the last 8 years I’ve been impressed with how cohesive the school board has become and how well the members have worked, both with each other and with Dr. Lubelfeld, to make hard decisions and move the school district forward while balancing the needs of the larger Highland Park, Highwood and Fort Sheridan community.
With the conclusion of the facilities upgrades around the corner and the launching of a new strategic plan, the future looks very bright for both our schools and our K-8 students. One of the most important jobs for the 112 School Board over the next 2 years is to help transition from Dr. Lubelfeld’s leadership, assure Dr. Schroeder’s success as the next Superintendent and continue the great momentum in the school district. My hope is to play a more active role both in Dr. Schroeder’s success and the continued success of School District 112 by being elected to the school board for the 2025-2029 term.
You can learn more about my efforts here.
