Washington, D.C.
Shawn serves as Chief of Party on the USAID Program Cycle Mechanism (PCM) contract and draws on his extensive experience with international conservation and learning networks. He led EI’s efforts under the Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership aimed at testing the effectiveness of systems-based approaches to improving the sustainability of water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
Shawn started his career in conservation as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar where he lived and worked in a rural fishing village on environmental and sexual and reproductive health issues. Following this two-year experience, Shawn stayed on in Madagascar to focus on marine conservation, first as a site manager for Reef Doctor, a small non-profit, and then with Blue Ventures Conservation, where he worked for five years, eventually becoming Country Director for the organization. After nine years in Madagascar, Shawn returned to the U.S. to work with Environmental Incentives.
Shawn is passionate about creating a more effective international development sector grounded in incentives that adapts effectively to change, fosters efficient collaboration, and learns quickly from actions. For this to happen, development organizations and donors need to acknowledge the inherent complexity of human and environmental systems and move from an accountability mindset to an impact mindset.
