Dr. Shawn has served on numerous community and civic boards; held many leadership positions within those organizations; received numerous awards and recognitions; and served on several college accreditation reaffirmation teams. He holds Bachelor of Science, Master of Education, and Doctor of Education degrees with a concentration in Mathematics Education from the University of Central Florida. He also holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Florida A & M University College of Law and a Homeland Security Specialist Certificate from Hillsborough Community College. He is a member of the Florida Bar.   

The author’s first three books were on leadership: Six Heads Are Better Than None: A Guide for Leaders, Broken Liver: Musings on Leadership, and Wing Night: Leadership Can Be Saucy had been selected or showcased by the Oxford Exchange 2020 - 2022 local author book fairs, the Ybor City Saturday Market, the 2020 Tampa Cuban Sandwich Festival, the 2020 Ybor City Santa’s Workshop Artist Festival, and the 2021 Next Level Networking Series. In 2021, the author ventured into fiction with She Folds: The Last Poker Night, and the following year with Launder Care: The Mob Takes from Babies. Both She Folds and Launder Care were recognized as Finalists in the American Book Fest International Books Awards Novella Contest in 2022.