Who We Are

Sharon Hawa, senior strategist of emergency services

Sharon Hawa bio

As the senior manager of emergency services, Sharon and her team are responsible for enhancing Best Friends’ internal and external preparedness and response capabilities by ensuring that all Best Friends work sites are ready and able to respond to any emergencies, and by developing preparedness tools and resources, as well as providing response support to shelters around the country experiencing various types of emergencies. Sharon has extensive knowledge of disaster planning and operations management; coordinating response efforts and training large workforces. Her knowledge and experience in the field of emergency management spans over 20 years.

Sharon started her career as a volunteer with the American Red Cross in New York City following the tragedies of 9/11/2001. She knew immediately that emergency management was the career path for her. She spent the next two decades in various roles at various agencies, planning for and responding to disasters both domestically and internationally, providing care to displaced individuals and often their four-legged family members. 

As an avid animal lover and volunteer for shelters and rescues near her home in Alexandria, Virginia, Sharon recognizes the gaps that exist in emergency planning for household pets and other animals. During the response for Hurricane Gustav in 2008, Sharon managed a mega-shelter in Alexandria, Louisiana, which at peak had more than 3,000 evacuees, as well as several hundred animals in a co-located pet shelter facility. It was there that she decided that someday in her emergency management career, she would be able to combine her passion for emergency management with her passion for animal welfare. 

Sharon and her partner, Max, are avid outdoors people who enjoy traveling, hiking, camping and kayaking adventures. They completed their first summit on Half Dome, an 8,839’ peak in California’s Yosemite National Park in September 2018 and have their eyes set on more. Sharon is rescued by her dog, Juno and her colony of community cats that she regularly cares for and feeds.