Raised in Iowa’s Mississippi Valley, Shawn had a childhood filled with outdoor adventures and experiences that planted the seed for what would become a passionate commitment to respecting nature and all of its inhabitants. Her love of nature led her to Vermont to attend one of the nation’s top-ranked environmental law schools.
After graduating from law school in 1998, she began her real estate career at LandVest, a prominent firm in Boston. After seven years, Shawn’s entrepreneurial instinct took hold and she launched Earth Asset.
Shawn’s law background is complemented by 15 years of land planning, appraising and transactional experience. She has analyzed and valued a wide range of real estate asset types, has been awarded assignments ranging from 1 to 445,000 acres, and routinely values properties in the $5 - $50-million range; she has over $750-million of real estate asset evaluation experience. In addition to her advisory services, Shawn has participated in marketing and sales projects totaling over $150-million. Her valuation and marketing participation resulted in several properties selling at record-setting prices.
Shawn is an expert in conservation easement planning and valuation, a certified general appraiser, a licensed broker, an accomplished negotiator, and holder of a JD and Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School - one of the nation’s premier environmental law schools.
Her unusual synergy of disciplines assures that important details aren’t overlooked in the multi-dimensional process of buying, selling, or planning for valuable real estate assets. She can spot creative opportunities and catch potentially costly problems not typically visible from the perspective of any single profession, affording Earth Asset clients tremendous advantage.
Shawn’s work has taken her all over the continental USA, as well as abroad. Her clients include private landowners, land trusts, attorneys, financial advisors, wealth management and trust officers, educational institutions, municipalities, state and federal governmental agencies, corporations, and investment groups throughout the USA, as well as international non-governmental organizations, businesses and financial institutions.
Shawn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Iowa State University in 1995. In 1998, she received her Juris Doctor and Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. Today, she is licensed as a broker and certified general appraiser in several states.
Shawn is passionate about good health, and considers herself a nutritarian and avid athlete. She enjoys long-distance and trail running, mountain biking, hiking, sea kayaking, rock climbing, backcountry skiing, snowshoeing and P90X. She adores her newest piece of gear, her toe shoes. Most of all, Shawn loves spending time with her family at their home in Vermont, where the sound of jazz and aromas of gourmet nutritarian cooking can be found.