I'm shawn dove

I am a speaker, author, and advocate for leaders who want to improve the lives of young people, particularly Black men and boys. But more importantly, I am a husband and father so I bring all of me, the good, the bad, and the not so pretty to this work.

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My story

Over the past 12 years, I served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA), a national membership organization committed to improving the life outcomes for Black men and boys.
 
Under my leadership, CBMA has leveraged more than $212 million in national and local funds for Black Male Achievement, and grew to include nearly 6,000 individual and 3,000 organizational members across the U.S.
 
Prior to CBMA, I held more than two decades’ experience as a youth development professional, community-builder and advocate for children and families. 

MY EXPERIENCE

For 10 years, I served as Program Director of the Harlem Children Zone-operated Countee Cullen Community Center, where I helped spearhead the launch of HCZ’s Fitness & Nutrition Center. Other leadership roles included Executive Director of The DOME Project; Director of Youth Ministries for First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, NJ; Creative Communities Director for the National Guild for Community Schools of the Arts; and New York Vice President of MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

I’ve been blessed to be recognized with numerous awards:

  • Awarded the key to the City of Louisville by Mayor Greg Fischer (2018)
  • Black Enterprise’s 2017 “BE Modern Man of the Year.”
  • A recipient of the Charles H. Revson Fellowship at Columbia University
  • Named one of Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 in 2016. 
I Too Am America Book
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“I Too Am America is a special book written by special men. Shawn graciously shares his lessons of leadership, love, and sacrifice for the world to see and learn from, and we all should be truly grateful. Nick Chiles also lends his time and talent, and his amazing experiences to the pages of this incredible book. This book should be read, analyzed, and copied to make our world a better place.”

 

- Wes Moore, NY Times bestselling author, Philanthropist

Our country is facing a reckoning on race relations. The 2020 murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others ignited a racial justice and social change wave analogous to how Emmett Till's murder catalyzed the Civil Rights Movement 65 years ago.

Research from the Opportunity Agenda reveals that stories of our lived experiences, more so than data and numbers, is what evokes the empathy that changes hearts and minds.

As the nation grapples with the fierce urgency of empathy, I Too Am America provides readers with insights, inspiration that humanizes the stories of Black men and boys, while offering strategic recommendations on how we move from racial reckoning to racial resolution.

years

million invested

leaders impacted

years as CEO CBMA

my mission fuel

I’m on a mission to inspire, mentor and connect 2,000 additional leaders by 2025 who are committed to youth development, community-building, advancing racial equity and social justice issues.

CONTACT SHAWN

THE DOVE NEST

When I’m not working to be the change, I enjoy my time at the Dove Nest (my home) in New Jersey with my wonderful wife and four amazing children.