The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority in Atlantic City recently added two new members to its senior staff team.
Sharon Dickerson rejoined the CRDA in June 2023 and currently serves as general counsel and chief legal officer of the authority. She rejoined CRDA after three years with the Department of Law & Public Safety, Division of Law, as an assistant attorney general in the Financial Affairs Practice Group. She is a graduate of Rutgers School of Law and Temple Graduate Business School, where she obtained an MBA with a concentration in finance, and Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting.
Prior to her position with the Division of Law, Dickerson served as assistant general counsel for CRDA for 13 years. She has held various positions as counsel in the Division of Law, the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services, the city of Atlantic City and private law firms.
Dickerson has 24 years of experience in the public sector at both the state and local level. She also has five years’ experience in accounting and finance in the private sector.
Jerry Barnhart joined the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority as the director of the Special Improvement District Division in January. He is a certified public manager, career director and manager with 27 years of wide-ranging leadership experience.
Barnhart began his public service in 1996 with the Atlantic City Police Department, where he served in various leadership roles until he retired in 2021 as a deputy chief of police. During his career, he supervised and managed many different units and divisions within the department. As the deputy chief of police, he commanded the Operations Division, which included the Tourism District Unit. Over his 25 years of service, Barnhart forged relationships with the Atlantic City community, business owners, stakeholders and government officials.
After retiring from the Atlantic City Police Department, Barnhart worked as a chief instructor at the Atlantic County Police Academy. In 2021, he graduated as a certified public manager from the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration. In addition, he is a 2019 graduate of School of Police Staff and Command class No. 457 from the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety. Barnhart also holds a Bachelor of Science from Towson University.
Dickerson and Barnhart join fellow senior staff members Maisha Moore, interim executive director; Lisa Britt, director, administration; Lance Landgraf, director, planning and development; Heidi Manning, director, human resources; Kathleen Marshall, chief financial officer; Karen Martin, director, communications and marketing; and Thomas J. Meehan III, director, project implementation and development.
