FTA Welcomes New Executive Director Sharonne Bonardi
Thursday, November 04, 2021 12:00 AM

FTA Welcomes New Executive Director Sharonne Bonardi

Washington, D.C. (November 4, 2021) – The Federation of Tax Administrators is pleased to announce that Sharonne R. Bonardi, Esq. will be the next executive director beginning on January 3, 2022. Ms. Bonardi has been serving as the deputy comptroller of Maryland since 2015.
 
Kimberly J. Lewis, president of the Board of Trustees at the Federation of Tax Administrators, stated “The Board of Trustees was seeking a visionary, hands-on leader to guide the FTA forward. Unequivocally, Sharonne Bonardi is that leader. From her time as an attorney hearing officer in Maryland to her role as deputy comptroller, she has demonstrated a commitment to tax administration and supported the work of the FTA. Serving on the FTA Board during her tenure as president of the Board, I witnessed first-hand her leadership skills and her passion for tax administration. I am excited to have Sharonne take over the helm of the organization, and I know the staff and Board share my excitement and enthusiasm.” 
 
“I’ve dedicated my entire 30-year career to improving tax administration in Maryland by making transparency, fairness and equality priorities for our agency. I look forward to advancing these ideals nationally in support of the mission and vision of the FTA,” said Bonardi, who is a past president of the FTA Board of Trustees. “I thank Comptroller Franchot for the opportunity to lead one of the best departments of revenue in the country. The agency is prepared for continued success and I look forward to its future achievements. My experience as deputy comptroller has prepared me well for an opportunity of a lifetime at FTA.”
 
On October 1, 2015, Comptroller Franchot appointed Bonardi as the first African American deputy comptroller of Maryland. Prior to that, Bonardi held numerous roles within the Compliance Division, including director, deputy director, assistant director, manager of the Hearings and Appeals Section, and attorney hearings officer. In each of those positions, she was the first person of color and second woman to be appointed to those roles. She also has been an administrative law judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings.
 
Bonardi received her bachelor’s degree cum laude in English from Trinity University in 1989. She earned her juris doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law, and her master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University’s Carey School of Business. She was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1993. Bonardi was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record in 2016 and 2019. She also is a 2018 Maryland Center Club Women in Business Financial Services Trailblazer honoree, 2019 Maryland Leadership in Law honoree, recipient of the 2019 Maryland State Bar Association’s Shulbank Tax Excellence Award, and the 2021 Federation of Tax Administrators’ Harley T. Duncan Tax Excellence awardee.
 
Bonardi sits on the Board of Directors for SECU MD, Maryland’s largest state-chartered credit union and is past president of the Northeastern State Tax Officials Association. She is active in numerous civic organizations: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Links, Incorporated, and the MACPA Foundation. She lives in Baltimore County.
 
Today, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot announced that Andrew Schaufele, the current director of the Board of Revenue Estimates (BRE), will succeed Bonardi as deputy comptroller, effective January 3, 2022. Current BRE Chief Economist David Farkas will be the Bureau’s interim director.
 
Please join the Federation of Tax Administrators in welcoming Sharonne Bonardi as the incoming Executive Director.
 


Sharonne R. Bonardi, Esq.