Fire Chief Ben Sharit named LTCC Distinguished Alumni

Lake Tahoe Community College has selected Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District Chief Ben Sharit as its Distinguished Alumni Award winner for 2014.

In announcing the award at this year’s graduation ceremony, then-Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services Tom Greene called Chief Sharit a “highly visible yet humble and unassuming leader in South Lake Tahoe. He epitomizes the value of receiving an education at Lake Tahoe Community College. Through his dedication to life-long learning, he has demonstrated that locally educated students can indeed ascend to the highest position possible in their chosen fields of endeavor.”

Chief Sharit obtained his Fire Science certificate of achievement from LTCC in 1987. He went on to earn his Associate’s degree in 1999. After graduating from LTCC, Chief Sharit earned a B.S. in Fire Administration from Cogswell Polytechnic College in 2009. He began his career as a firefighter/ paramedic at Tahoe Protection Fire District in 1985, and ascended to the rank of Fire Chief in 2011.

Kevin Kjer, chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, says that Chief Sharit has “all the qualities you look for in a leader. He’s knowledgeable, hardworking, caring, a real problem solver, and a terrific juggler—he can juggle 10 difficult issues at once, and strike the proper balance with all of them. He’s a special guy. He always has a smile on his face, even when he’s working really hard.”

In addition to being an LTCC graduate, Chief Sharit has also been a loyal employee at LTCC since the late 1990s, when he began working as an instructional aide in the college’s Emergency Medical Technician program. He went on to hold positions as the clinical coordinator and lead adjunct faculty member in the EMT program before transitioning into teaching in LTCC’s Fire Science program. Sharit is also a member of the Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club.

Chief Sharit is one of the college’s most popular instructors, inspiring and challenging his students and drawing rave reviews in return. “I have had the honor of working with Ben for 15 years, and I can honestly say that he is one of the kindest, supportive, and intelligent leaders in the Tahoe Basin,” said Dr. Virginia Boyar, Dean of Career and Technical Education and Instruction at LTCC. “He always puts students first and manages to set extremely high goals for them that they invariably exceed. There are countless EMTs and firefighters in our community and beyond who owe their careers to Ben. He recognizes and nurtures talent in a wide variety of public safety careers.”

In addition to his other duties at LTCC, Chief Sharit is a committed member of LTCC’s Fire Science and Allied Health advisory committees. He also serves on the steering committee that is providing leadership and expert advice for the potential creation of a Regional Public Safety Training Center housed at LTCC.

“His unwavering support of the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy since its inception eight years ago cannot be understated,” said Dr. Boyar. “He supports this program by providing personnel, facilities, and equipment. He recently spearheaded the $1 per year lease of his fire department’s reserve fire engine to support learning in our Fire Academy.” LTCC Fire Academy Coordinator Leona Allen added, “Not only does he supply our program with his agency’s equipment and personnel, but he supports the Fire Academy cadets with an annual scholarship. He is extremely deserving of this recognition!”

The Distinguished Alumni Award is given once a year by the LTCC Foundation to a graduate of the college who has exhibited exemplary achievement in their life, encompassing success in academic, business, professional and civic activities. Nominations for the award can come from any employee of the college, and a winner is selected by a nominating committee and finalized by the college’s Board of Trustees. Winners receive a plaque, and their name is placed on the Foundation’s Recognition Wall. Chief Sharit joins past winners Bob and Tammy Hassett, Carl Young, Jory John, Chief Jeff Michael and Lt. Les Lovell.