Shawn Lent (she/her) moves this world as a social practice dance artist and program manager with experience ranging from a field in Bosnia, to a children’s cancer hospital, to the embassy in revolutionary Egypt. The first ever person featured on Seriously Badass Women, she is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar (2011-2012 Egypt) and United Nations Alliance of Civilizations International Fellow, and is leading a community initiative with refugee families in Chicago. Shawn currently serves on the World Refugee Day Chicago Leadership Committee and the Board for ILDEO – Illinois Dance Educators Organization (the state affiliate for NDEO – National Dance Education Organization). In 2019, she was nominated for 3Arts Award in Teaching Artistry and was designated for NewCity’s Players list of the 50 people “who really perform for Chicago,” an honor she again received in 2022. Shawn was the EducationUSA Coordinator for AMIDEAST/Egypt with the U.S. Department of State 2013-2015, served on the editorial team for Createquity and The Clyde Fitch Report, and has spoken at the German Mission to the United Nations, Brigham Young University, University of Maryland, Hope College, Universal Exposition Milan,  Dance + Social Justice Conference at NYU, and TEDx Shibin El Kom, and served as the 2014 Commencement Speaker for Millikin University. Shawn holds a Masters in Arts Management degree with a concentration Arts in Youth and Community Development from Columbia College Chicago and a Professional Certificate in Youth Arts Development from Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Additional training includes the American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy and Young Nonprofit Professionals (YNPN) Chicago Leadership Institute, both in the inaugural years of those programs. Shawn is a dance educator with 31 years experience, and has earned certification from Youth Protection Advocates in Dance and in “Mental Health in the Arts” from the Center for Creative Arts Therapy. During the Trump Administration 2016-2020, Shawn led Dance Demonstrations with community members, volunteer artists, and collaborators; these efforts were given the recognition of 2017 Best of Chicago: Best Use of Dance as Political Protest by Newcity Magazine.