What others say

Shauna is the most capable complex project manager I have encountered in my 15+ year career. She consistently brings an organized and detailed approach to complex strategy, growth, and impact initiatives. She excels at holding team leadership and colleagues accountable, monitoring initiative performance, and managing initiative risks when we might be veering off-track. In doing this, Shauna ensures successful and streamlined communication, project management, and socialization approaches. Shauna has been instrumental in providing me thought partnership on how to organize and design effective meetings, on how to streamline providing updates across 6 priority workstreams, and how to maximize meeting efficiency. She also consistently manages and foresees potential risks, and her organizational prowess strikes a perfect balance between addressing immediate and emergent needs and forward-thinking best practices.

Shauna also took on an additional role outside of her regular job, and in just two months, navigated diverse and often conflicting leadership priorities and visions to produce a detailed six-month project plan for a high-priority, enterprise-wide initiative. She exceed her goals in securing 3+ marquee partners, managed all planning and networking required, and designed a sustainable long-term plan for staffing, budget, implementation, and continuous improvement. Her efforts transformed a stalled and ambiguous project into a well-coordinated initiative.

I truly enjoy partnering with Shauna, and continue to learn with and from her daily.

— Jessica Soja, Director Strategy & Impact, Jobs for the Future

Shauna and I have been working together over the past month as the 75 Million Network (75MN) is in the process of being transitioned between teams at JFF. From our initial onboarding meeting, Shauna has been welcoming, kind, straightforward, sharp, and strategic in our interactions and in the work, and I’m extremely grateful to her for the thorough onboarding she’s provided me. I’ve been impressed by her communication style in particular, which is clear/direct while always inviting alternative opinions.

Before I came onboard, Shauna did an incredible amount of work in a very short time frame to get the 75MN launched by Horizons – a priority directly from our CEO. One example of the strong relationships Shauna built during this process is that when we emailed the 6 founding members to confirm logo placement on JFF’s website, they all responded within 1 week – and were clearly excited about what is to come.

Shauna singlehandedly has led a signature initiative for JFF that needed to be launched on a short timeline. She demonstrated creative thinking and an innovative approach to establishing an MVP. She had to manage risk both internally and externally to launch and has continued to manage risk, look for creative solutions, and seek ways to be effective and efficient as we work together on the transition. 

— Jennifer Giffels, Director, Jobs for the Future (JFF)



I had the privilege of collaborating with Shauna on several pivotal projects for JFFLabs soon after joining the organization. Shauna's commitment to excellence and collaborative spirit were evident from the outset, particularly during our work on the EQOS/Gitlab budget project. Shauna's attention to detail and dedication to our shared goals were truly commendable, contributing significantly to the overall success of the EQOS/Gitlab budget project. For instance, her ability to foster a collaborative environment ensured not only smoother decision-making processes but also a constant alignment with our project objectives. 

What stood out most during our collaboration was Shauna's talent for guiding me in the right direction whenever uncertainties arose. Her profound understanding of the business unit, project intricacies and seamless connections to the right individuals were instrumental in keeping us on the right track. Shauna's willingness to share insights and navigate challenging situations enhanced my overall experience on the projects. Her professionalism and expertise, especially in uncertain circumstances, showcased the qualities that make her an invaluable collaborator.

I am truly grateful for the collaborative experience with Shauna, and her contributions have undoubtedly left a positive impact on both our projects, and I am looking forward to working with her in the future.

— Jethro Celestin, Finance Business Partner, Jobs for the Future



You’ve consistently demonstrated impressive leadership, particularly during times of uncertainty and team transitions. Your ability to navigate complex challenges and drive the advancement of the 3-year operations plan was remarkable. You frequently delivered outcomes at a chief of staff or director level, often stepping into gaps like managing the budget, overseeing board communications, leading onboarding efforts, and being a key point of contact for change management. Your open-door policy and accessibility made you an effective mentor, and I personally appreciated how you handled tense dynamics with calm and effective conflict resolution.

Your strength in building comprehensive systems across complex workstreams was invaluable, especially in connecting JFF and BGI. You communicated risks clearly, implemented mitigation strategies, and empowered the team with space to operate, all while building trust and ensuring psychological safety. You led key deliverables on EQOS product development, external stakeholder engagement, and team management. Your facilitation skills and ability to be seen as a trusted partner made you the go-to person for everything EQOS-related. 

The groundwork you laid has contributed directly to the key wins EQOS enjoys today—whether it’s in operations, expanding its network, developing the platform, or validating its introduction in the field. For growth, I encourage you to continue your leadership and humanistic approach to strategy-building, especially in fostering a vision that inspires and empowers others to persevere, believe in their own capabilities, and see the impact of their efforts.

— Phoenix Asifa, Senior Program Manager, Jobs for the Future

I had the pleasure of working for Shauna at the Research Foundation of CUNY in a technical assistance and training environment. She is the epitome of what a project manager should be, from her keen eye for detail to problem solving before the problem escalates and grows. Although I only worked for Shauna for about 8 months, it was the best working environment I’ve ever experienced, and she encouraged each of us to grow, develop, and learn within our roles, as well as expand beyond those roles into what our future positions or dreams looked like.

Shauna excels at managing a team, even remotely. Our entire team worked remote, but it always felt like we were one team, striving for the same goal, and making a difference within the population we were serving. Even if tensions became high from our clientele, Shauna always knew how to de-escalate the situations quickly and provide diplomatic, yet empathetic solutions and feedback that satisfied all parties. She is one of those managers that will stick with a team through thick and thin, and she truly made a difference in how I see my ideal work environment.

— Jenna Thompson, Project Associate, Training & Technical Assistance, RF CUNY

I had the pleasure of reporting to Shauna, who played a significant role in helping me achieve some of my important goals and effectively manage my projects. Learning from Shauna has been invaluable, as her guidance has greatly enhanced my team's organizational practices. Her leadership style is fantastic, and she provided me with excellent insights into managing my own direct reports effectively. I truly appreciate the opportunity to have worked with her and look forward to collaborating with her again in the future.

— Gary Gonzalez, Senior Facilities and Operations Manager, Jobs for the Future

I had the pleasure of working with Shauna. Under her expert supervision, our team was able to grow exponentially performing beyond expectation. Shauna displayed outstanding leadership skills directing our team with compassion, knowledgeable decisions, extensive research, and most importantly, with actions that set true example of hard work and positive mentality — Attributes that always focused on seeking proactive solutions, setting a proper preparation for efficient performance. Additionally, her professionalism and myriad of abilities will surely inspire others and go well beyond employers expectations.

— Yeikson Cornelio, ISS Program Technical Specialist, RF CUNY

Shauna and I worked together on several time sensitive projects. She took the lead with our team and guided our work to the end making sure everyone’s ideas were taken into account and that everyone walked away feeling they had contributed. Her adaptability, positive approach, and creativity provided useful insight along the way and I would certainly choose to work with her again. Shauna and I worked together on several time sensitive projects. She took the lead with our team and guided our work to the end making sure everyone’s ideas were taken into account and that everyone walked away feeling they had contributed. Her adaptability, positive approach, and creativity provided useful insight along the way and I would certainly choose to work with her again.

— Alexandre El Meouchi, Fellowship, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rigths