Faces of the City October 2025: Sharonda Carson

October 1, 2025

Faces of the City

A monthly feature that highlights the dedicated employees who help keep our city running. Get to know who they are, what they do, and the paths that brought them here—putting a face to the city you live, work, and play in.

October 2025 — Sharonda Carson

This month, we’re spotlighting Sharonda Carson, Director of Community and Neighborhood Services in the City’s Development Services Department. Sharonda has been serving the City of Muskegon for nearly 7 years.

In her role, Sharonda leads efforts to preserve housing and strengthen neighborhoods through a variety of impactful programs. Her department provides critical home repair and rehabilitation services, offers homebuyer assistance to low-income families, and facilitates community engagement through advisory committees for federal CDBG and HOME funds. She also represents the city on the Muskegon Continuum of Care, connecting residents with resources and fostering partnerships across the community. Because the department manages federal, state, and local grant funding, Sharonda and her team also take the lead on outreach efforts that expand access to these programs.

Sharonda’s path to public service started with a desire to help people. With an education in Health and Human Services and Public Administration, she began her career at a local community action agency, where she created and expanded programs like a Food Assistance initiative. That experience revealed her talent for building sustainable community programs and eventually led her to an internship with the City of Muskegon. There, she was tasked with developing a lead abatement program, and her success quickly propelled her into leadership as Director of Community and Neighborhood Services.

Outside of work, Sharonda’s creative spirit shines. She enjoys making balloon arrangements and working on crafts, roller skating, and spending time with her family at the gym or pool. She’s also an adventurous foodie. She’s always eager to try new restaurants and cuisines, joking that she “would have loved to be a food critic.”