Shawn Turk is an out and proud transgender husband and father of five, working as a land acquisition and regulatory professional for the wireless telecommunications industry. His professional background includes regulatory compliance for oil and gas operations, environmental health and safety policy and training for scientific research, and urban planning for a small Colorado municipality. Prior to venturing into the corporate world, Shawn spent 5 years working with at-risk teens and disabled adults in assisted living and group home settings in New York and Colorado as a treatment counselor.
Shawn currently serves as the Vice President for the Colorado State Board of Health and Chair of the Cancer, Cardiovascular, and Pulmonary Disease Grant Committee for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, and is the first transgender male to serve in an officer role on a Governor Appointed Board for the State of Colorado. Shawn previously served as the Board President for the Gender Identity Center of Colorado and on the Mayor's LBGTQ Commission for the City and County of Denver. In 2019 Shawn was selected as one of ten Victory Empowerment Fellows through the Victory Institute as an up and coming transgender and/or POC leaders in the community.
Shawn holds a Master's of Science in Energy Law from Oklahoma City University, a Master's of Science in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California-Davis. He's currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University.