As Legal Director, Shawn is responsible for day-to-day legal and grant management operations of Breakthrough Energy, collaborating closely with Finance, Human Resources, IT, and the broader BE team.

Shawn joined BE from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where he started as the second lawyer and helped build the legal function as well as lead a team of lawyers and program managers supporting the organization’s technology efforts in biomedical research, K-12 education, and criminal justice. Prior to that, he was a lawyer at Facebook, where he helped develop and drive regulatory strategy for initiatives in global connectivity (Internet.org), enterprise software (Workplace), and messaging (Messenger).

Shawn studied Chemistry and Physics at Harvard University and has a JD from the University of Chicago Law School. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two sons. He loves tea, spicy food, and NBA basketball (go Denver Nuggets!).