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Barbara Muhammad Sharief is a Florida politician, currently serving as the mayor of Broward County. She is the county's first black female mayor.

Early Life and Education
Sharief grew up in Miami, one of eight children of a self-employed clothing salesman and a retired schoolteacher. Her father, James Muhammad Sharief, was an active member of the Masjid Al-Ansar Mosque in Miami who also ran a food program for the needy. He was shot and killed by a 15-year-old robber in 1987, when Sharief was 14, and she got a job to help pay the bills.

She attended North Miami High School and Miami Dade College as well as Jackson Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, obtaining a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science in Nursing and an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner degree from Florida International University. At 18, she became one of the youngest people to pass the Florida Registered Nurse board exam.

Professional career
Following her graduation, Sharief worked for Jackson Memorial Hospital, followed by a national home health agency. In 2001, she founded South Florida Pediatric Homecare, Inc. (SFPH). The company provides home healthcare services for "medically complex children" in Dade and Broward counties, who would otherwise need to stay in a hospital or intensive care environment. Started with Sharief's retirement funds and an SBA loan, SFPH generated $700,000 in revenue its first year, and more than $2 million by its third.

Political Career
In 2009, Sharief was elected to the Miramar City Commission, where she served as Vice-Mayor in 2010. While serving on the Miramar City Commission, she donated her annual salary of $34,000 to charities. In May of 2010, she filed to run for Broward County Commission, seeking the District 8 seat being vacated by Diana Wasserman-Rubin. Using $150,000 of her personal savings to finance the campaign, she drew more than 60 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary. She was elected that November, to serve residents of the cities of Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Weston, Southwest Ranches, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Park and West Park. In 2012, she was named vice mayor of Broward County. In November of 2013, she was named mayor of Broward County, after the commission tasked with selecting the mayor voted unanimously. The decision made her the first black female mayor in the county's 99-year history.

Over the course of her political career, Sharief has been focused on the issue of the financial health of her constituents, enacting programs to provide foreclosure assistance and programs related to getting through the economic slump. She created Commissioner on a Mission, a program "designed to reach out to citizens who may be struggling or having a difficult time" that addressed issues such as the needs of the elderly, and fighting foreclosure, unemployment, hunger and homelessness. She has also been heavily involved in issues related to aggressive dogs, proposing a county-wide pit bull ban in 2013. She later withdrew requests for the ban in favor of calling for regulations that would makes it mandatory to neuter and spay dogs, as well as additional funds in 2014 for animal control specialists and training local police on animal control.

She is a graduate of the Institute for Elected Municipal Officials. She has completed the Certified County Commissioner Program as well as the Advanced County Commissioner Program.

In 2014, she joined with the mayors of Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties to pledge support of the Seven50 plan, a strategy addressing the next 50 years in seven Florida counties, addressing issues like transit, the economy and health and environmental concerns.

Affiliations
Sharief serves on the board of directors for the Home Care Association of Florida. She is a member of ICABA, an association for black professionals and entrepreneurs, serving as the Honorary Chairperson for ICABA Honors awards in 2012. She also serves as the second vice president of the Florida Association of Counties (FAC), having served prior as the Chair of the Health and Human Services Policy Committee.

She is a board member of of The Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization, The Homeless Initiative Partnership, and she serves as the vice chair of The Value Adjustment Board of Broward County. Sharief also serves on the health steering committee for National Association of Counties. She is also a member of the National Democratic County Officials, the Urban League of Broward County, Miramar/Pembroke Pines Chamber of Commerce's Governmental Affairs committee,the Caribbean American Democratic Club and Minority Women Business Enterprises.

Awards and honors

 * American Dreamer Award, the Hispanic Unity Entrepreneur Summit (2011)
 * Recognition of Service in Economic Security, Alpha Kappa Alpha, South Atlantic Conference (2011)
 * Woman in Business Award, Pinnacle Awards presented by Miramar-Pembroke Pines Chamber of Commerce (2011)
 * Recognized by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson for Women’s History Month in the Congressional Record on March 29, 2012
 * Woman of Distinction Honoree, March of Dimes (2012)
 * Lumina 10 Entrepreneur, ICABA (2012)
 * Outstanding Achievement Award, the Florida International University Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences 30th Anniversary NightinGala (2013)
 * Honored at the Broward Black Elected Officials’ eighth annual Black History Month Gala (2013)
 * Florida Association of Counties Presidential Advocacy Award (2013)
 * Professional Award, Broward County Business and Professional Women’s Network (2013)
 * 100 Outstanding Women of the Year, Boys and Girls Club of Broward County (2013)
 * Distinguished Alumni Torch Award, Florida International University Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences (2013)
 * African-American Achievers Award, business and entrepreneurism category, JM Family Enterprises (2014)

Personal Life
Sharief and her husband Max share five children: Amanda, Zach, Alyssa, Meia and Hailey.