Listen to the people doing the work
They often know where things break down. I start by understanding their experience and involving them in what changes.
About Shawn
A career in public service and helping people do good work.
I've worked in classrooms, represented employees, served on city council, and led teams supporting federal agencies. Each role has shaped how I understand organizations and the people who depend on them.
Today, I'm Director of Learning & Organization Development at Bixal. I lead work across federal agencies, manage people and delivery, and help teams put organizational change into practice. My experience includes about six years of formal people management, including supervising managers.
I care about whether institutions serve people well and whether employees have what they need to do their jobs. Fairness, public trust, and responsible use of resources guide the decisions I make.
Request my resumeHow I work
Understand the problem. Work with people. Follow through.
When work breaks down, I look at how it is organized: who is responsible, what information people have, and what gets in their way. Learning, leadership, and practical changes to the work often need to happen together.
Do the work that makes change possible
Clear responsibilities, useful tools, reliable information, and time to learn make a difference. I pay attention to those details.
Build for the day after
The work should not depend on me being in the room. A good system keeps helping people after the meeting, the contract, or the term ends.
Experience
The work that shaped my approach.
Federal consulting and team leadership
At Bixal, my work has included workforce strategy, learning programs, organizational change, and AI adoption. I have directed a federal portfolio totaling $12.5M+ in contract value and helped bring five practices together around shared services and ways of working.
Association and nonprofit work
At the Association for Talent Development, I led professional learning projects and cross-functional teams across online, virtual, and in-person programs. My independent consulting work included nonprofit learning programs and volunteer onboarding.
Elected service in Bethlehem
From 2015 to 2019, I served on City Council. I chaired Community and Economic Development, served on Finance, and authored FAIR, the city's recurring public review of economic development incentives. That work depended on evidence, negotiation, and support from colleagues and the administration.
Education, labor, and constituent service
I began in Pennsylvania state government, helping residents navigate public services. I later taught social studies, developed learning programs for fellow educators, and represented employees through union leadership. Those experiences keep me attentive to how decisions affect people's daily lives.
M.A., Political Science
Focus on public policy, governance, and public-sector leadership.
B.A., Education and Spanish · Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach
Where I want to contribute.
I'm interested in leadership roles in government, nonprofits, and organizations that support them. I want to build and improve programs over time, whether within one institution or through shared learning and support across a network.