Sheila K. Delaney started her career in the federal government as a field representative in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office of Economic Opportunity where she worked closely with Community Action Agencies throughout western Kentucky to create projects for better housing, schools, community services, and job training.

She then attended law school at Catholic University of America and was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1974 and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar in 1982.

Sheila worked as a trial attorney in the Voting Section, and then the Disability Rights Section, of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from 1973 until her retirement in 2011, when she was recognized for her 44 years of Distinguished Federal Service. The cases and settlements that were reached during her tenure at the DOJ ensured equal access under the law to many voters and people with disabilities.

Sheila was recognized for her contributions to the Garza et al., and United States of America v. County of Los Angeles redistricting case by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California in 1991 and with the Civil Rights Division’s Maceo W. Hubbard Award in 1992. The precedent-setting victory helped ensure that the county’s Hispanic citizens would have representation on the Board of Supervisors for the first time.

Sheila has also volunteered for a number of organizations in the D.C. area, including the Washington Ireland Program and CRI, which provides support services to people with developmental disabilities and mental health needs.

“Seton Hill helped make me a more confident and mature person,” Sheila said. “The interactions I had with my teachers and fellow students forced me to think more clearly about what I wanted to do in life.”