Michael Sharon is the Chief of the Emergency Programs Division at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Homeland Security. His responsibilities include supervising USDA’s 24-hour Operations Center, facilitating USDA’s Multiagency Coordination Group, and providing intra-agency support to emergency managers across USDA’s diverse agencies and offices. Mike is also assigned as the USDA’s liaison to the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Strategic Group and provides USDA expertise to a variety of national-level policy efforts to support agricultural security.

Before joining the USDA, Mike was Deputy Superintendent of FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. He supported FEMA’s disaster response efforts as Chief of the National Response Coordination Center’s Gold Team and FEMA’s liaison to the U.S. Secret Service during National Special Security Events. Mike’s other FEMA service was at FEMA Region III in Philadelphia, where he held positions as Federal Preparedness Coordinator, Operations Planning Branch Chief, and Regional Integration Branch Chief. He was also assigned as Chief of the Regional Response Coordination Center and as an Incident Management Assistance Team Leader during multiple disasters and National Special Security Events.

Mike entered Federal service with the U.S. Department of State, where he helped develop the Department’s all-hazards emergency management and business continuity programs. His emergency management career began in Maryland, where he was the state’s lead disaster exercise planner before becoming the Maryland Emergency Management Agency’s Assistant Director for Operations. Mike subsequently led the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Emergency Response Division, where he was responsible for statewide hazardous materials response and nuclear power plant emergency readiness.

Mike earned a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College, a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore, a Master of Arts in military history from Norwich University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from LaSalle University with dual majors in sociology and criminal justice. He has also completed the graduate certificate program in Agricultural Biosecurity and Food Defense at Penn State University and the Homeland Security Executive Leaders Program at the Naval Postgraduate School. Mike is also a U.S. Army veteran with 28 years of service in the Regular Army, Maryland National Guard, and Army Reserve.

Mike is a Certified Emergency Manager® through the International Association of Emergency Managers.