Margaret Mims Feb 15 2022
Margaret A. Mims
Margaret Mims has been a peace officer since January 1980. She was elected to the office of Sheriff in November 2006, becoming the 25th person to hold that office in Fresno County. She was the first female deputy sheriff Sergeant to supervise field patrol units. She was the first female deputy sheriff to attain the rank of Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Sheriff and to be elected to the office of Sheriff in the history of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office which was established in 1856.
Margaret is a member of the Fresno Cultural Arts Rotary Club, the Caruthers Kiwanis Club and is on the Board of Directors of the Marjorie Mason Center, a local women’s shelter. She has served as a past member of the Fresno County Rape Counseling Service Board of Directors. She is a member of the California Peace Officer’s Association and the California State Sheriff’s Association.
She is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University with a master’s degree in Public Administration from National University. She is a graduate of California POST (Peace Officer Standards & Training) Supervisory Leadership Institute, and she is also a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police coordinated through Boston University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Recognitions:
1998 Recipient of the Fresno Exchange Club “Top Cop” award
1999 Chosen as one of Fresno County’s Top Ten Business/Professional Women of the Year
2001 Recipient of a “Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award” from the National Center for Women in Policing
Feb 2005 Highlighted on KFSN Channel 30 (ABC) Person of the Week
2007/2008 Selected as Best Local Female Elected Official by Fresno Magazine
March 2007 Recognized as the 31st Assembly District Woman of the Year
2008 Recognized as one of Business Street Online “Influential Women 100” of Fresno
Feb 2009 Award of Heroism and Lifesaving by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, City of Fresno, and Fresno County Council of Governments
Feb 2010 California Rifle and Pistol Association Peace Office of the Year for the State of California
July 2010 Fresno City College Centennial Alumna one of their “100 Stars for 100 Years”
June 2011 Reedley City College 2011 Distinguished Alumnus
June 2011 Girls Scouts ‘Women Inspiring Girls’ Award
Sept 2011 Exemplary Partnership Award from the Department of Homeland Security
Nov 2011 Fresno Leading Young Professionals LEAD Award
Nov 2012 Jenny Eller Memorial Volunteer Donor Recruiter Award from Central California Blood Center
2014 Special Olympics Award of Excellence
May 2016 National University Distinguished Alumni
May 2016 Fresno City College Distinguished Alumna Award
After her 2008 breast cancer diagnosis, Sheriff Mims became an outspoken advocate for early detection.