Shari Noll McCracken

Sharon (Shari) Noll McCracken, who graduated with a BA in Economics in 1984, is Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Butte County in Oroville, California.  Shari’s first job after graduation was with the Northern California Health Systems Agency, a non-profit serving in a federal regulatory role overseeing hospitals’ performance and requests to expand services.  She then went on to work for Lakeside Community Hospital in Lakeport, California, the Butte County Public Health Department in Oroville, and the Private Industry Council (PIC) of Butte County in Oroville. She managed operations and grants for PIC from 1988 to 1995, and with her background and training in computer science she designed, managed, and administered a multi-user UNIX computer system.  Shari also found time to complete some units toward her MA in Public Administration at Chico State. 

In 1995 Shari accepted a position as Executive Director of the Plumas Job Training Center (PJTC) in Quincy, California, where she managed an annual budget of more than $3 million.  Shari was responsible for a tri-county employment and training program that was part of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA).  She also managed the Plumas County Transit System.  “In my role, I was responsible to the Agency’s Board of Directors, three separate county Boards of Supervisors, and the Governing Body of the consortium that contracted with the Agency to provide services,” Shari states on her resume. 

After the PJTC, Shari served as Health Education Coordinator of the Computers in our Future grant program in the Plumas County Health Department from 1997 to 1999.  She managed four computing centers that provided students training and access to computers.

In 1999 Shari moved on to Sonoma County where she accepted a position as Planner/Analyst and Development Manager in the County’s Human Services Department.  In this position Shari planned, developed and monitored programs in the adult and aging division of the County.  She also assisted in implementing In-Home Supportive Services for the County.

In 2002 Sonoma County promoted Shari to Administrative Analyst in the CAO’s Office with responsibilities including serving as a liaison with the County’s health and human services department, including review of budgets and staffing of departments with a budget of $325 million and some 1,300 employees.   In this role Shari represented the County before the Board of Supervisors and other local and State groups.

In 2005 Shari moved back to Oroville to serve as Deputy Administrative Officer for Butte County where she assisted in management of department operations and a County budget of over half a billion dollars.  Her responsibilities included all land use and general government departments and the Fire Department.

In 2017 the Butte County Board of Supervisors selected Shari to be the Interim CAO, and she simultaneously served as Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Director for five major fires that fall. The following year the Board appointed her CAO.  Shortly after taking the CAO position, the Camp Fire struck Butte County, destroying the Town of Paradise and many other communities within the County.  Shari again served as the EOC Director and successfully navigated the many management issues generated by the fire to face another crisis in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic. 

Shari has thrived by successfully managing these crises.  She still finds time for her family and for community service such as serving as a literacy tutor for children and adults and participating in the local PTA when her children were in school. (Last Updated 7/2/20)