The Women’s Business Council – Southwest (WBCS) would like to announce our new Vice President of Operations & Strategy, Shawn Wills! In partnership with WBCS President Debbie Hurst, Shawn will be responsible for driving the overall strategy for the organization, as well as representing the Council on a local, regional, and national base. This includes overseeing all marketing and communications, as well as major fundraising and outreach initiatives.
Prior to this position, Shawn served as Senior VP - Development at Texas Women’s Foundation, which is the largest regional women’s fund in the nation. She also worked six years as the Chief Development Officer for CitySquare, and has served in leadership and management roles with Rainbow Days, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, North Texas Public Broadcasting (KERA), and the San Antonio Spurs. She is a native of St. Louis, MO, and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Shawn and her husband, Darin, live in Frisco with their two young daughters.
To get to know Shawn a little better, we asked her a few questions outside her professional career:
- If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? – I’d like to visit every state at least once. Of course I’m partial to those with warmer climates, but I’d love to be able to visit every state and experience the local cultures.
- Have you read any good books lately? – I tend to read a lot of ‘chick lit’. Life can be so serious, so when I read, I try to read for entertainment purposes.
- What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend? – My two daughters keep me busy with all of their activities, so my weekends usually consist of running around with them. It’s funny because when I’m not doing that, I feel lost! So at this stage in my life, my favorite way to spend the weekend is with family - watching my girls play sports, dance, and supporting whatever venture they are involved in.
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? – “When you stay in your own lane, there is no traffic”.
We are excited to have Shawn with us as our new Vice President, and look forward to working with her as she helps WBCS continue to promote supplier diversity.
