Shawn grew up in Blakely, Georgia, on his family’s farm. After high school, Shawn enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Sergeant. Later he got his B.A. in Agribusiness at Tuskegee University, where Shawn was a member of Omega Psi Phi, and where he met his wife, Karla.

After 9/11, Shawn was deployed as an infantry commander in Afghanistan, where he saw extensive combat. Shawn later served as a senior military advisor in posts around the world. Shawn was awarded several military honors for leadership and valor, and he also earned a degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

Shawn’s life has now come full circle back to the Georgia countryside. After conversations with neighbors around Rockmart, Shawn established a campaign to run for Congress as the Democratic Party nominee against Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.