Shawn’s leadership mission mantra is “there is no cavalry coming to save the day in our communities. We are the iconic leaders that we have been waiting for; curators of the change we are seeking to see.” He is the founder of the Corporation for Black Male Achievement, a consulting and publishing enterprise that curates community-building and leadership development engagements that elevate stories of loving, learning and leading for Black men and boys.
Dove served as CEO of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA), a national intermediary membership organization committed to ensuring the growth, impact and sustainability of leaders and organizations committed to improving the life outcomes for Black men and boys. Launched at the Open Society Foundations (OSF) and spinning off into an independent entity in 2015, he leveraged more than $212 million in national and local funds, while connecting cross-sector leaders and organizations, on behalf of an emerging BMA field.
He supported the launch of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative; brokered a pioneering partnership between OSF, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to launch the NYC Young Men’s Initiative; served as a lead organizer of the launch of the Executives’ Alliance to Expand Opportunities for Boys & Young Men of Color, leveraged seed investments for BMA organizations and initiatives including Cities United, Echoing Green’s BMA Fellowship, Oakland Unified School District’s Office for African American Male Achievement.
He's led multi-media and narrative change strategies to amplify the voices and stories of Black people and their communities, including launching Harlem Overheard, an award-winning youth-produced newspaper at the Harlem Children's Zone, founded Proud Poppa, a newsmagazine elevating assets of Black fathers; invested in Black-led media companies and productions, as well as funded and published numerous research reports to advance the BMA field. Dove is the co-author of I Too Am America: On Loving and Leading Black Men & Boys (January 6, 2022).
His many awards include the key to the City of Louisville, Black Enterprise’s inaugural 2017 “BE Modern Man of the Year,” and Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 in 2016. Dove is the recipient of the Charles H. Revson Fellowship at Columbia University and the Prime Movers Fellowship for social impact leaders. Dove earned a BA in English from Wesleyan University and is a graduate of Columbia University Business School's Institute for Not-for-Profit Management. He lives in New Jersey with his wonderful wife and four amazing children.