Sharon Thams served as Senior Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development for 27 years until March 2023. Her recent work included serving as the Inter-Agency coordinator for the development of a regional plan to combat violent extremism in Costal West Africa. After 15 years as a justice and anti-corruption specialist, Sharon served as Deputy Mission Director in Senegal, Nicaragua and the Sahel, and USAID's Civilian-Military Coordination Office. She also served in El Salvador, Mozambique, and the Dominican Republic as a Governance specialist.  Prior to USAID, she worked as a Capital Budget Analyst for Montgomery County, Maryland and as a Peace Corp Volunteer in Jamaica.  She holds a Bachelor's degree from Michigan State University, a Master's of Public Policy from the University of Maryland focused on intergovernmental fiscal transfers and financial management and a second M.A. in National Security Studies from the National War College.  She has spoken French, Spanish, and Portuguese for various USAID assignments.  Sharon currently works as an instructor at James Madison University in the Development Studies program, and as a historic interpreter at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia.