Kevin Sharer ’70 served two tours on nuclear submarines, the second as chief engineer of new construction on USS Memphis (SSN 691). He served as president/COO and CEO/Chairman of Amgen Inc. Sharer was a member of the original Naval Academy Foundation (1999) and was continuously active on the Board of Directors. He was an organizer and lead donor for both of the Foundation’s capital campaigns. He endowed a chair in the Naval Academy’s Aerospace Engineering Department starting in 2001. He has championed the value of hiring veterans and specifically Academy graduates.
Kevin W. Sharer stands out in all of the defining ways that give the DGA the distinction that it rightfully has. Exemplary leadership, integrity, compassion, intellect and demand for excellence define who he is. The Naval Academy and the US Navy have been his North Star. Kevin grew up in a career Navy family. He graduated from the Naval Academy in the great class of 1970 with a BS degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He served 2 tours on nuclear submarines, the second as Chief Engineer of a new construction SSN, the USS Memphis (SSN 691). In this much sought after assignment, Kevin strived and thrived.
He joined the corporate world and grew quickly into positions of leadership at the highest echelons of American business. A successful tour with GE led to a division presidency at MCI. That, in turn, led to his selection in 1992 as President and Chief Operating Officer of Amgen Inc., presently the largest independent biotechnology company in the world. In 1992, Amgen had annual revenues of $1 billion. With Kevin as COO, Amgen grew by 2000 to $3.6B in revenues and was ranked among the Fortune 500. In 2000, Kevin Sharer was selected to be Amgen’s Chairman/CEO. Shortly thereafter, Amgen was recognized as Forbes Magazine 2004 Company of the Year and Kevin W. Sharer as CEO of the Year. Kevin retired from Amgen in 2012 and became a Senior Lecturer/Professor at Harvard’s School of Business. He has contributed in a major way to the CEO- Successor transitions for more than 20 major companies in America and abroad. He recently co-authored a book titled, “The CEO Test: Master the Challenges That Make Or Break All Leaders”.
Kevin has given unselfishly of his time, talent and treasure over the past several decades. In 1997, Kevin took a leave of absence as COO of Amgen to help the Naval Academy identify and remedy a number of daunting leadership challenges facing the Academy at the time. He is among the Top 15 ALL- TIME DONORS to the Naval Academy, having contributed millions of dollars over the past two plus decades. In time and talent, he is an original member of the Naval Academy Foundation (1999) and has been continuously active on the Board of Directors at the highest level at which one can be engaged. He has been a major organizer and a lead donor for both Naval Academy Capital Campaigns, which have raised more than $900 million and provided a margin of excellence for Navy that cannot be overstated! Along with that, he endowed a chair in the Aerospace Engineering Department.
On the broader stage, he has demonstrated bold leadership in the areas of equality and values-based leadership. Recently, he co-founded OneTen, a non-profit coalition of chief executives of renown with the goal to train, hire and promote 1,000,000 Black Americans into the American workforce in the next 10 years. The Sharer Family Foundation presently supports fifty junior college transferees to major colleges and universities. Many are first generation Americans or first in the family to attend college.
Other causes included Chairman, Board of Trustees, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History; Board of Trustees, Cal Tech; and the Advisory Board for Mentor LA, serving the most underserved communities in Los Angeles.
The endorsement of two Navy grads/SEALS who were Kevin’s MBA students speaks to the path he continues boldly to forge today for countless leaders, present and future. Kevin Sharer is truly among the best and most fully qualified to receive this great honor.
Updated: December 27, 2025
Curator: Ed Moore