Sharon McDonald is a 33-year law enforcement veteran. She currently serves as Undersheriff with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Hackensack, N.J., a position that she has held for six years. She heads the agency’s Training, Accounting. Community Outreach and Mounted Divisions. She also oversees all hiring and administrative functions of the Sheriff’s Office.

Prior to her position with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Sharon spent 27 years with the New Jersey State Police. She was the first African American woman and second woman trooper in the state of New Jersey. She retired at the rank of Captain and Bureau Chief of the North Anti-Crime Partnership, a multi jurisdiction taskforce developed to combat crime and improve the quality of life for residents of Irvington, N.J. Prior to that, she served as Bureau Chief of the Special Services Bureau, where she was responsible for the oversight of the New Jersey State Police Ballistics, Composite Drawing, Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Photography, and Evidence Management Units.

Sharon has received numerous awards and commendations throughout her career including two NAWLEE Glass Ceiling Awards.

Sharon has been a member of NAWLEE since 2004. She is also a member of the New Jersey Women Law Enforcement (NJWLE), Lady Team Blue and Gold, International Association of Chiefs of Police (I.A.C.P.), National Association of Black Women in Law (NOBWLE) and the American MENSA Society.

Sharon holds a BS in Psychology from Union College, Schenectady, New York, and a Master of Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey.