Shawna Young

Business adviser, Business leader, Business mentor, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Life mentor, Parent, Philanthropist, Social entrepreneur, Startup, World traveler

Shawna Young is a social impact entrepreneur, educator, and speaker dedicated to empowering individuals and driving change. As CEO of Camelback Ventures, she leads strategic initiatives that create pathways for entrepreneurs of color and women through targeted investment in their ventures and leadership development. Under her guidance, Camelback has continued to rewrite the story of entrepreneurial opportunity. With $7M in investment to date, the organization has empowered over 180 entrepreneurs who have collectively secured $350 million and created measurable impact 5 million individuals through innovative programs spanning education, health, and civic engagement sectors. Shawna has continued to lead the organization in a strategic approach that extends beyond traditional funding models, actively addressing barriers that have historically limited opportunities for talented founders. Her leadership exemplifies Camelback's core mission to provide essential capital while simultaneously working to create a more equitable entrepreneurial landscape for overlooked innovators. Before leading Camelback, she was Interim CEO of Ada Developers Academy, a nonprofit that has trained over 1,000 women and gender expansive people of color as software developers, since 2013. Prior to Ada, Shawna served as the executive director of the Scratch Foundation, Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), and MIT Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES). She began her career as a science educator in North Carolina and also managed diversity programs at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. With a background in creating accessible educational opportunities for underresourced communities, Shawna is an influential voice in education, equity, and social justice. As a visionary leader, Shawna has spent nearly 25 years nurturing talent and shaping the futures of thousands of aspiring changemakers. She received her BS in Chemistry from Howard University, MAT in Science Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MBA from MIT, and Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Boston University.na

I am passionate about empowering social impact entrepreneurs of color and women who are creating innovative solutions for their communities. Inspired by my parents' experiences as Black small business owners facing systemic barriers, I work to dismantle systemic barriers and build an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem where diverse founders can thrive. A vision of a world where talent is recognized and opportunity is equally distributed drives me forward, supported by a commitment to community building and creating strong support networks for social entrepreneurs.