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Profile: SHARON DESMOULIN-KHERAT

When it comes to how schools can best support the learning of all students, impatience may be one of Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat鈥檚 most defining character traits. She鈥檚 not one to allow a ticking clock to shortchange those she鈥檚 most responsible for.

鈥淚t broke my heart when I started my first superintendency and learned a child could have a substitute teacher for three years in a row,鈥� says the decade-long superintendent of Peoria Public Schools in Illinois.

For Kherat, the city of Peoria is home, the place where she began her career as a middle school teacher and excelled as principal of a Blue-Ribbon primary school and later as principal of a high school.

When she became Peoria superintendent in 2015, the teacher shortage was acute. Some 110 classroom posts in Peoria schools were vacant. It certainly wasn鈥檛 her nature to wait patiently for a game-saving teacher pipeline to emerge from the state universities, so in 2018 she started a grow-your-own program for paraprofessionals.

In 2022, Kherat initiated an international teacher-exchange program, which in the years since has netted nearly 200 classroom teachers from 16 countries, including the Philippines, Cameroon and the Dominican Republic. To the daughter of natives of Dominica, West Indies, the diverse educator force has enhanced cross-cultural perspectives for everyone affiliated with the schools.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 sit back and do the same ineffective things when children are counting on you,鈥� Kherat says. 鈥淢any things can wait 鈥� children cannot.鈥�

As a self-described 鈥渞elentless problem solver鈥� and an adept critical and creative thinker, she seeks applicable insights from educational leadership research and from her extended professional network.

When others perceive problems as unsolvable, Kherat remains steadfast and optimistic. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time for new ideas,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f things aren鈥檛 working, it鈥檚 time to pursue alternatives that could work better, sharing what鈥檚 best for students.鈥�

School board member Christina Rose calls the superintendent 鈥渁 leader in the truest sense 鈥� who pours herself into the task of creating more leaders鈥� and someone who injects positivity into discussions of policies and practices designed to raise student learning.

Rose, a former teacher, marvels at Kherat鈥檚 unflagging aptitude for resolving complex issues at Peoria鈥檚 27 schools. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to get an initiative going in one school, let alone across a whole district,鈥� she says.

Ten years of commitment have made an indelible mark on the 13,250-鈥媠tudent district. Earlier this year, Kherat was honored as Illinois鈥� 2025 Superintendent of the Year and became one of four finalists for AASA鈥檚 2025 National Superintendent of the Year.

鈥淣ot every leader is as visionary or as passionate as Dr. Kherat is about fixing problems,鈥� says Kathy Lopez-Rodriguez, principal of Charter Oak Primary School. 鈥淪he distinguishes herself as an exceptional leader who looks to the future, can envision where we need to be and then takes the steps to get us there.鈥�

The Peoria district鈥檚 creation in 2018 of a wraparound center, operating year-round as a one-stop shop for families and students who need food, rental help and other assistance, is another major achievement. In a community where 78 percent of students qualify for the federal lunch program, the center has served thousands.

Keen to extend learning opportunities, Kherat expanded pathways for career and technical education, created dual-credit opportunities with area colleges and developed a school for students who鈥檝e experienced trauma. The Elite Game Changers program serves 50 middle schoolers at risk of suspension or academic failure.

鈥淚 like filling everyone鈥檚 buckets with positivity,鈥� Kherat says. 鈥淚n doing so, I find my own bucket overflowing with their gratitude and reciprocated encouragement.鈥�

Liz Griffin is managing editor of School Administrator magazine.