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  The following biography of Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona was provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

(Orange County Sheriff's Department) Michael S. Carona, the grandson of Sicilian immigrants, was born in Santa Monica, California in 1955. Upon graduating from the Orange County Sheriff's Department in 1976, he began his law enforcement career as a Deputy with the Orange County Marshal's Department. He quickly established a record of service while still continuing his formal education endeavors, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management and two Master of Arts Degrees in Management.

In 1988, after competing in a nationwide selection process, Michael Carona was selected as Marshal of Orange County. At the age of 33, he was the youngest department head in Orange County. For eleven years, he served at the pleasure of the Orange County Municipal and Superior Court Judges, charged with the administration of over 460 employees and a $34 million budget.

Elected as the eleventh Sheriff in the history of Orange County, Michael Carona was also the first in 56 years to come
from outside the ranks. In January 1999, Michael Carona became responsible for the leading law enforcement agency in Orange County, the 2nd largest Sheriff's Department in California, and the 5th largest Sheriff's Department in the nation. His department is comprised of nearly 4200 members, with an operating budget of approximately $500 million.
Operating the 6th largest jail system in the country, the department also fulfills the needs of the county court system and provides every facet of law enforcement services to over 600,000 individuals in twelve contract cities and 350 square miles of unincorporated areas. Running unopposed, Sheriff Carona was reelected to his second 4-year term beginning in January 2003.

Michael Carona is a graduate of the prestigious FBI LEEDS Program, National Executive Institute and the California
Peace Officers Standards and Training Command College. He serves as an arbitrator for the New York and Pacific Stock Exchanges and the National Association of Securities Dealers. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of
numerous philanthropic organizations, Michael Carona was appointed to the California Student Aid Fraud Assessment
Commission by Governor Pete Wilson and was appointed as Chairman of the California Council on Criminal Justice by Governor Gray Davis.

He serves as Co-Chair of the Amber Alert Program, is a member of the Orange County Elder Abuse Task Force, and in 2002 he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee for the Homeland Security Council. Reporting to Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Sheriff Carona is one of only fifteen members from the United States and is the only Sheriff on the Committee.

Additionally, Sheriff Carona is serving Governor-Elect Schwarzenegger as a member of his Transition Committee. Michael Carona has received numerous distinguished honors and awards. Among them is the Law Enforcement
Commendation Medal from the Sons of the American Revolution. He was also selected as "Manager of the Year" for
Public Safety in 1999 by the Society for the Advancement of Management, was given the "Bridge Builder" Award from
the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Orange County, "Humanitarian of the Year" by the National Conference for the Community and Justice, "Man of the Year" by the Orange County Black Chamber of Commerce and the recipient of the
"Visionary Award" from the Orange County Council of the Boy Scout's of America. In 2002, he was honored by ABC's
Good Morning America, receiving the "American Hero Award," OC Metro named him one of the "Hottest 25 People in
Orange County," the Consumer Attorneys of California named him "Law Enforcement Officer of the Year," and he
received the "Humanitarian Award" from the Nashville Country Collection, as well as the "Protect & Serve Award" from
the Eagle & Badge Foundation, and the Citizens of Distinction Award from the NAACP.

As a strong advocate for issues related to young people, Michael Carona serves on the executive committee for the Blue Ribbon Campaign to Prevent Child Abuse, has received the "American Hero Award" from the Celebrity Foundation for Children and has co-authored a book entitled, "Save My Son," which proposes progressive new models within the criminal justice system for reclaiming the lives of substance-abuse offenders.

CNN Talk Show Host Larry King best summed Sheriff Carona's accomplishments and leadership, introducing Michael
Carona as "America's Sheriff."

(Orange County Sheriff's Department)