THE NITTY GRITTY
Shane was born in New York City to a teenage mom who was addicted to drugs. When Shane was 4, he and his 6-month-old brother were found on the street by a police officer; their mother had left them there. Shane and his brother were placed together in their first foster home where they stayed for a year. They then moved on to another foster home where they were happy, but sadly, that placement also was broken –after seven years—when the court insisted that the two boys have a permanency plan; but the foster parents were having marital problems and couldn’t commit to adoption.

Shane and his brother at that point were placed with another family for adoption, but after just two months the family decided they had made the wrong decision and just left the brothers in front of the agency’s building with their suitcases and drove away. The next home was even worse. Shane was emotionally abused and developed an ulcer in response to the abuse and stress. While in that home, Shane met his maternal grandmother and sister—who had been born while he was in foster care—for the first time. He was told then that his mother had died three months before.

The next move left Shane without his brother and without a family environment. The brothers were placed in group homes for fourteen months at which point they were reunited for adoption, but Shane wasn’t interested in being adopted anymore and asked to be moved to another home while his brother stayed behind and was adopted.

While Shane was in the group home, he found himself slowly changing: "I became more concerned with my future and more afraid of failing," he says. Shane’s involvement with the church and with its youth group, he says, helped to keep him on "the straight and narrow." Shane’s fear of failure certainly was powerful: he went on to graduate from college, marry, have three birth children and two adopted children, and have much success with his career.

ACHIEVEMENTS
Shane has found much success working for foundations in top positions for such organizations as Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities: Bridges... From School to Work and a foundation called For the Love of Children.

Most recently Shane was the Director of Foundation Giving at the Freddie Mac Foundation where he directed the foundation’s $20 million grant-making program dedicated to brightening the future of children, youth and families at risk.

Shane has used his high-profile positions in his professional life to help him with his personal work of shining a national spotlight on foster care. He presents at numerous state and national conferences on topics related to children in the foster care system. This year he was on the Rosie O’Donnell Show to announce National Foster Care Month. Shane also has carried the Olympic torch.

But if you ask Shane what he thinks his biggest accomplishment is, he says, "becoming a parent… raising my daughter from birth and having her graduate high school." Shane fathered a child when he was still a teenager and raised her as a single parent for much of her life.

CURRENT WORK
Since late June, Shane has been working in a new position as the chief of staff for the deputy mayor of Washington, D.C. In this job, Shane acts as the deputy mayor in her absence and is a liaison to her staff. He says, "I make sure that fires don’t burn, or if they do, I put them out."

PLANS FOR FUTURE
Shane will be writing a book and has a contract underway.

INSPIRATION
Shane has been inspired by many people throughout his life: for example, a social worker who told him he could do better and a "Big Brother" who told him he wouldn’t associate with him if he was a "loser."

ADVICE TO YOUTH TRANSITIONING INTO ADULTHOOD
The best advice Shane can give youth transitioning to adulthood is from his own recent experience. "The greatest challenge for me recently was losing my job. There I was in a professional environment, and I experienced the ultimate form of rejection—losing my job. It really got me. I wondered, ‘how could it shake my core?’ But I landed on my feet because I have such a great support system. I realized then that no matter how neatly you tie things into place, it’s so important to develop healthy relationships so that you are always supported and feel supported. A lot of kids in care think they don’t need anybody."

FAVORITE BOOKS
A Hero Ain’t Nothing but a Sandwich.