Shawna Sherman

Director of Finance and Administration

I am excited to be joining as the Director of Finance and Administration at TeamChild. For me, growing up in rural Maine, at an early age I was attuned to poverty and the lack of opportunities people have when they are struggling economically. I wanted all people to have what they need and despite coming from a modest home it wasn’t an easy home to grow up in. Through my own experience, I developed compassion and understanding, and if I had something someone needed—lunch or someone to talk to—I gave what I had.

That desire continued. After graduating from a small, women’s college, I counseled incarcerated youth in a wilderness setting. We went backpacking and completed month-long canoe trips. Our goal was to create a safe place for youth to experience themselves as empowered people and to support them in making different choices when they returned home.

The work was hard but rewarding. I later went on to help create inclusive, low-income community housing. And I am thankful to be coming full circle into the role of finance, operations, and human resources at TeamChild. At the end of the day, my success is ensuring there is a nourishing supportive environment for all of our staff–from attorneys, legal assistants, policy change agents, to administrative staff–who in turn, empower youth to stand up for their rights and for communities to truly effect healthy, needed change for young people.