She joined the Federal Air Marshal Service in June of 2002, after the tragic events of 9/11. First, assigned to the Orlando Field Office as a Federal Air Marshal (FAM) and was charged with deploying and mentoring Federal Air Marshals on behalf of the Transportation Security Administration. She coordinated, developed, implemented, and supervised law enforcement activities within the transportation domain, both domestically and internationally.
During her career with the Federal Air Marshal Service, she served as a Federal Air Marshal and was promoted to the Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge in 2007. Sher has served in numerous supervisory assignments at the Orlando International Airport and Sanford Airport as the Assistant Federal Security Director, the Global Response Team Supervisor, the Critical Incident Response Team, the Training Division Supervisor, and the National Coordinator for Assistant Federal Security Directors for Law Enforcement. Sonya retired in 2014, after twenty-four years in law enforcement.
Prior to joining the Federal Air Marshal Service, Sonya served over twelve years with the Daytona Beach Police Department. She accepted a position as a Patrol Officer in 1990 and worked numerous assignments rising to the rank of Sergeant. She was awarded the Medal of Valor and the Medal of Merit during her tenure. She graduated from Warner Southern University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, is a Graduate of the Office of Personnel Management’s Mid-Level Development Pro- gram and completed her federal law enforcement training in Roswell, New Mexico, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.