Leading with Purpose - Shawn Jenkins (August 2023)

LEADING WITH PURPOSE SOCIAL IMPACT JOURNAL

AUGUST 2023

CELEBRATING OVER 33 YEARS OF UPLIFTING THE HUMAN SPIRIT WITH

SHAWN JENKINS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, WESTERN REGION

FEATURE

SHAWN JENKINS Having lived through equally challenging trials as those within our care and serving amongst our top members of leadership over 33 years later, Shawn Jenkins is an absolute testament to the phrase "Lived experience." As the Chief Operating Officer for WestCare's Western Region, Shawn oversees all our operations west of the Mississippi, including Arizona,

California,

Iowa,

Minnesota,

Nevada,

Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

His primary responsibilities are oversight of all operations within those states, supervising the regional

leaders,

and

working

with

them

on

managing their operations, budgets, and future growth. In his own words, "I am a connector of resources. So, I ensure we connect our states with WestCare Foundation and its different departments. I ensure that we're following our policies

and

procedures

and

are

working

together. Working together is what makes us; it's what

makes

things

happen.

We

are

not

successful if we are siloed. As large as we are, we must have processes, and we need to have a way to do things. I want to ensure that the Foundation serves our regions and that the regions are collaborating with Foundation."

His journey to WestCare is probably different than a lot of other people's journeys. It started in 1988 when he acknowledged that he had a cocaine addiction that was out of control. After his first semester of college and at the age of 19, he dropped out to deal cocaine for the Mexican Mafia. During the next five years, he was both a dealer and a user. As a result, he ended up living in a camper shell behind a diesel repair shop, and he found himself owing money to incredibly dangerous people.

Shawn shared, “I kept telling myself that I was going to make a lot of money selling drugs and get out, but that day never came, and it kept getting worse and worse. I finally realized I was headed either to a long stretch in prison or would wind up dead.”

In the six hours before he made the 3 a.m. phone call that saved his life in the summer of 1988, he snorted nine grams of cocaine. “I was getting to the end of From the Beginning: Young Shawn (on the left in plaid shirt) with siblings, Sherry and Shannon, and father, Jim Jenkins.

my rope,” remarked Shawn, who called his mom from a pay phone and told her he wanted help.

He expected to go into treatment in Phoenix, AZ, where she lived. His mother asked if he could make it to the airport which was about 50 minutes away to fly to Phoenix. He responded, "No," as he was looking around and behind him more than where he was driving. His mother asked about him connecting with his father, a crop-duster pilot who was staying only a mile from where he was calling. They met up, and his dad took him to Fresno because of a relationship his aunt had with a program called The Third Floor, which

Pictured in their teenage years, Shawn (on the left) and younger brother Shannon.

would later merge with WestCare in the 90s to become what we know today as WestCare California.

However, his recovery didn’t unfold in a straight line.

Shawn shared, "Four months into treatment, I called home and told my parents I wanted out. They responded with, 'What program do you want to go to?' I told them that I was done, and they responded with tough love by saying, 'Leave, and you’re on your own.' So I stayed. Six months later, I went to Arizona on a 72-hour pass, relapsed, and rekindled my connections with the Mexican Mafia.

Celebrate Good Times: Shawn with the WestCare California 1994 Graduation cohort.

This is where my new life and old life collided. But I had made a 10-month investment in myself, and I had a much better awareness of who I was. So, I decided to go back into the program.” Following his graduation from the program, his first job was weekend staff-on-duty. "When I came in, we had one residential program in California in a 56-bed coed facility. I would go in on Saturday at 8 a.m. and could sleep at midnight. The house manager would stay up, and I would get up at 4:30 a.m. with the kitchen crew. I would be off-duty on Monday after the staff meeting ended," recalled Shawn.

Smiling Friends: Shawn with Lynn and Burnett in 1992 during a BBQ.

2012 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Vet's Plaza Honor & Support: Shawn marching during 2019 Fresno Veterans Day Parade.

Thanking Volunteers: 2015 Teen Bible Academy volunteers earning awards, presented by Shawn.

Following Shawn's humble beginnings with WestCare, he went on to later serve in a variety of roles, including Counselor, Senior Counselor, Operations Director, Deputy Administrator, Vice President, Senior Vice President, and Chief Development Officer before his current role as Chief Operating Officer for the Western Region.

Looking back on the many changes he has seen in our organization since he started, Shawn noted, "I'm proud of the growth that we've achieved in different regions and at WestCare as a whole. I was here when it was just Arizona, California, and Nevada. I've been watching us grow, and how that has happened is phenomenal. We are reaching out to serve more people and provide growth opportunities across the globe."

He continued, "I like bringing others along and watching their progress and journey into leadership. I like helping people. There isn't anybody that, at one point in their life, hasn't needed help. You don't have to have a substance abuse problem to need it.

Everybody needs help at some point in time. That is why I always say, 'We're not everything to everybody, but we're many things to many people.' That is part of our mission and what we do. I'm proud of that."

Shawn personally defines success not by what he does at work but instead believes that life's a journey full of peaks and valleys and that the ultimate measure of success is how you learn from these moments, both good and bad. "I've made lots of mistakes, and I'm sure I'll continue to make mistakes, but mistakes are necessary for continued growth. Every day, I wake up and want to be better than yesterday. I'm not always successful at that. Some days, I'm not as good as I was yesterday. There are times that I go backward a little bit. So, to me, personal success is finding some peace and balance inside my soul."

Through his work, Shawn aims to always lead by example and will never ask anybody to do something that he is unwilling to do himself. "Many people have approached me, including employees, that will call me 'Mr. Jenkins' or something like that. I will always let people know that my name is 'Shawn.' I'm not more important than anybody else here. I may have a different position, but there are people here at WestCare that do jobs that are beyond me. If I tried to do their jobs, I would probably get fired," he remarked. "I try to be a servant leader. If you treat people right, you'll get buy-in and when you get buyin, people want to work with you and help you."

Shawn

continued,

"People

are

going

to

make

While certainly dedicated to our organization, Shawn is

mistakes, and if you've created a relationship with

also unwavering in his dedication to his children. His

the people you work with, they will be harder on

oldest son, Dylan, 27, works for WestCare at the MLK

themselves for disappointing you than you need to

Residential

be on them. I don't believe in raising my voice a lot

predecessor to the original program that changed his

because there's no value in it, and the lessons are

father's life. His son, Giovanni, 22, is getting into the

often missed. At that moment, people think you're a

trucking business. Last but certainly not least is his 14-

tyrant, and you're just blowing off steam rather than

year-old daughter, Jenna. As a father, he likes to not just

saying, 'I'm disappointed in what you did, and you're

do things for them but with them, including going to the

better than that.' Hearing that is harder to swallow."

movies, taking his sons to a live UFC fight, watching the

facility

in

Fresno,

the

modern-day

fight at home, working with Giovanni on his cars, or "If somebody tells me that, then I must look at

shopping with Jenna. Because he does it so much for

myself. The only thing I can truly control is me. When

work, he doesn't travel too much and considers himself a

there's a problem, whether in my region, with

bit of a homebody who enjoys taking on home projects.

somebody I'm supervising, or in my personal life, I

He does enjoy going to concerts from time to time.

attempt to first look at myself and ask, 'What could I have done differently, and what can I change?' I can

Reflecting back, he believes his journey has helped

make suggestions for somebody else. I can try to

prepare him for service at WestCare. He's been both on

help them, but I can't make somebody else change.

the side of needing help and getting help. Witnessing

So, I come at it and take responsibility for my part in

what a hard worker his father was perhaps prepared him

whatever it is."

most for life. "Dad instilled in me the value of working hard. It doesn't matter what your job is. You need to

What Shawn enjoys most about working with WestCare

be the best. He would tell me, 'I don't care if you're a

is that despite all the stress, work, emails, and everything

ditch digger; just be the best ditch digger'." With that

else, he and his team can still joke, laugh, and have a

advice, Shawn has stayed committed when he digs into

good time. "I came to WestCare/The Third Floor in July

doing things now. "If I don't know how to do it, I will

of 1990. So, I've spent a good portion of my life

research it and figure it out and ask questions along

working here. WestCare is my family and I take these

the way. I've earned everything I've attained so far.

relationships seriously. I feel responsible for the

It may have felt like it came slower than I may have

people that work at WestCare. When those that I

wanted, but it came to me when it was supposed to,"

work with hurt, I hurt."

he remarked.

30 Years & Counting: As a gift for 30 years of service, Shawn received a custom #30 jersey.

Dedicated to Family: Watching UFC fights with sons, Dylan and Giovanni, & enjoying some time with daughter, Jenna.

Telling WestCare's Story: Shawn speaking at the 2019 Fresno County Homeless Services Forum.

Shawn has seen WestCare grow and believes it will continue to do so if needed. "I have seen our organization expand from a substance abuse provider to a worldwide behavioral health and human services organization with a variety of service domains, and I'm proud of that. It's been a challenge, but it's been rewarding. We still have work to do.

Shawn continued, "I don't know If I'm fearless or not smart enough to know that I should be scared, but I'm always ready to try something new if it's a good

Helping Hands: Collecting book donations with young helping hands at MLK Campus.

program that will work and provide a good service for those that need it. I ask the people around me to do the same thing and seek new opportunities for what else we can do as an organization. Take a chance and look outside of the box."

On an infrastructure level, Shawn has always been a big proponent of utilizing technology and marketing and has made it a priority that there be room in his operational funding for both departments. For him, it's about trying to work smarter, not harder. "Our WestCare staff work hard. They're here trying to make the world a better place. It goes a long way if we can also leverage technology to help make their job easier, remind them of things, and connect them. Having our own Electronic Health Record (EHR) is essential as well. Technology has ultimately made communication more efficient and more effective."

Regarding marketing, he understands the importance of remembering to celebrate our accomplishments.

"We need to tell our story and marketing does that

Awarding Talent: Presenting a CORE Award to Norma at MLK Talent Show.

for us. It takes a particular type of person to do this with a skill set that only some possess. Social media,

digital

media,

press,

printed

items,

collateral creation, outreach, events, and more are all a part of our marketing efforts. We have talented and passionate people onboard to help us tell our stories and share the great work that is happening in all of our regions. Without it, the people who genuinely need our help wouldn't know where to go or who to contact."

Meeting New Faces: Shawn visiting the FMCoC Homeless Point in Time Count in 2022.

When working together, he attests that technology helps

"I've ensured that our regions work with all their teams,

make our jobs more accessible, and marketing tells our

including IT, HR, Benefits, Marketing, Accounting, Legal,

stories. He also recognizes that our staff enjoys seeing

Training, Clinical, and Grants. I ensure that all of our

the acknowledgment of their work and seeing it out

contracts go through Legal for review. I start those

there on the web, in our newsletters, and on our social

conversations and serve my teams when they have

media pages.

questions or are struggling. That is what being at WestCare is about. That is what #WeAreWestCare, is

When Shawn eventually assumed the Western Region,

about. We have a President, CEO, and other senior

he didn't feel its states were as connected to Foundation

leaders, but they alone are not WestCare. It is the Board

as they should have been. "WestCare Foundation is a

of Directors, Community Action Councils (CACs), and

service entity. Our job is to serve the regions," he

every staff member that makes up WestCare."

explained.

#WeAreWestCare A Big Win: Leadership and Shawn (on the right) accepting a Steven Horsford check for WestCare Nevada.

Everyone Say "Cheese!": Selfie with Shawn and the 2016 Fall Graduation cohort.

Follow WestCare to stay connected to us around the world WestCare @westcare @westcarefoundation WestCare Foundation

WE'RE NOT EVERYTHING TO EVERYBODY,

but we're many things to many people.

Shawn Jenkins