Dr. Shawn S. Edwards, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Dr. Shawn Spann Edwards, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is an organizational development strategist, executive advisor, professor, and nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations strengthen their people, culture, leadership, and performance.

As CEO and Principal Consultant of Solutions by Shawn Edwards, LLC, Dr. Edwards partners with businesses, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, cultural organizations, and public-sector entities navigating growth, change, or organizational complexity. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning, organizational development, human resources, workplace culture, board governance, leadership development, executive coaching, employee engagement, and process improvement. Known for her ability to build trust across all levels of an organization, she helps leaders think deeply, act intentionally, and translate ambitious goals into practical, sustainable results.

Dr. Edwards brings a distinctive combination of academic rigor, applied business experience, and a deeply human-centered approach to her work. She serves as a professor in the College of Charleston School of Business, where she helps prepare emerging professionals and organizational leaders to address contemporary workplace challenges. Her consulting portfolio spans multiple industries and includes nonprofit organizations, financial institutions, cultural and arts organizations, architecture and professional-services firms, and corporations throughout South Carolina and across the country.

Her scholarship reflects her commitment to inclusive and effective leadership. Her doctoral research examined the barriers affecting millennial and racial-minority participation in nonprofit board service, with particular attention to recruitment, belonging, influence, trust, and organizational power. This research continues to inform her work with boards and leadership teams seeking to move beyond representation toward meaningful engagement, shared voice, and lasting organizational change.

Dr. Edwards earned a Doctor of Business Administration from Temple University, an MBA in Human Resource Management and a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Learning from Walden University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Management from Webster University. She holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources and SHRM Senior Certified Professional credentials and is certified to administer several leading organizational and behavioral assessments, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Organizational Culture Inventory, Intercultural Development Inventory, and DISC.

Her commitment to service extends beyond her consulting and academic work. Dr. Edwards has served in leadership roles with numerous nonprofit organizations, including as board chair and immediate past chair of Together SC and through board service with One80 Place. She is also an active mentor, an advocate for nonprofit effectiveness, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

A New Jersey native now rooted in Charleston, South Carolina, Dr. Edwards is guided by a clear professional mission: helping organizations align purpose, people, and performance so that leaders, teams, and communities can thrive.

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