Michael Agosta has spent more than 30 years serving our country and the people of New Jersey as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army, a Federal Air Marshal, and a small business owner and entrepreneur.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Michael attended Catholic school in New York before moving to Fair Lawn as a teenager. After graduating from Fair Lawn High School, he worked in the textile industry in Hudson County before enlisting in the U.S. Army.

During his military career, Michael quickly rose through the ranks and eventually became an Operations Sergeant who supervised the operations and training for his battalion and balanced a $5 million dollar travel budget by cutting costs and restraining spending. He received numerous awards, medals, and decorations, and was continually given increased levels of responsibility. In addition to his budget and management duties, he was also selected to serve as a Liaison Officer to foreign militaries and helped coordinate the deployment of U.S. Armed Forces overseas.

While on active duty, Michael earned a B.S. in Political Science and was widely recognized for his leadership and work ethic. Michael’s service in the Army provided him with valuable expertise in resource management, effective budgeting and fiscal discipline, international relations, law enforcement, and terrorism prevention.

In 2001, Michael was on active duty and pending retirement. But after the September 11th attacks, he was determined to continue serving our country. He was accepted to the Federal Air Marshal Service where he was assigned to the Newark Field Office.

In his first three years as a Federal Air Marshal, Michael flew nearly two million miles, domestically and internationally, and was quickly recognized as an emerging leader in the Newark office. Based on the strength of his performance, he was promoted to a position in the Federal Air Marshal Operations Center in northern Virginia, where he served in the International Planning Branch.

During his time in the Federal Air Marshal Service, Michael managed a $15 million dollar Federal budget, where he once again demonstrated fiscal discipline and the ability to cut costs and restrain spending. He also worked extensively with the U.S. Department of State and became a certified program manager who helped streamline software changes that increased the productivity of the organization. After serving as a Federal Air Marshal for six years, Michael was forced to retire after suffering a career-ending injury in 2008.

Upon leaving government service, Michael became a small business owner when he founded a computer consulting and repair business that serviced Fair Lawn and the surrounding areas. 

In 2011, Michael signed with a government contractor and deployed to the Helmand Province in Afghanistan in support of the US Marine Corps.  He served as an Acting Site Manager at a remote Forward Operating Base for 9 months and then moved to a larger camp where he was assigned as an Operations Manager.  He redeployed to the United States after his one year assignment.

Throughout his life, Michael has always believed in the importance of community service and giving back. He is currently a member of American Legion Post 171 in Fair Lawn, a member of the Catholic War Veterans and a member of the Knights of Columbus.  He was also bestowed the title of Kentucky Colonel by the Governor of
the Commonwealth of Kentucky.