Shawn was born in Dover, DE, in 1984 into a military family, moving around all over the world as he grew up. His father retired in Alaska, and he graduated from Ben Eielson AFB High School in 2002.

Shawn enlisted in the Kansas Army National Guard in November 2006 and served six years. Along the way, he picked up Soldier of the Cycle honors in basic training and AIT school, held multiple MOS’s as a Computer Systems Information Specialist and Field Artillery Surveyor, and deployed once in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While deployed, Shawn took part in a Soldier of the Quarter board, placing second for the entire Middle East of deployed soldiers.

Shawn spent nine years in the Oil and Gas industry, working his way into supervision roles and leading the development of the training program for new employees at a start-up. His management and training skills have served him well in producing top employees - some of whom moved into supervision roles themselves. In the summer of 2017, Shawn decided to pursue a new career in technology. He joined the IT program at ETAC, Inc, which led him to become the first veteran in the program to earn his CCNA R&S certification successfully. His drive and work ethic prompted the ETAC, Inc leadership to bring Shawn in as a mentor, resulting in him finally ‘finding his place’ by helping other veterans succeed in their careers. Shawn is now an owner and COO of an IT training company, SDN Pros, which he hopes to use to bring back the IT program at VFV for veterans needing training for a new career. While pursuing this new career path, Shawn graduated Summa Cum Laude from Devry University in 2019 with a BS in Technical Management.

Shawn now resides in New Braunfels, TX, with his wife Rachel, son Jet, and more animals than most can handle, including dogs, cats, birds, coi fish, chickens, and horses. His hobbies include motorcycle riding, woodworking, and farm chores.