Shawn is a 14-year veteran with the Kansas City, Missouri Police department. She is the 2017-2018 Dole Caregiver Fellow of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation for the state of Missouri. Since May of 2013 Shawn has been the caregiver of a wounded warrior and has dedicated her life to the study of PTSD and the effects it has on the family. Shawn has earned her Bachelor degree in Social Psychology and is working on her Master’s degree in social work. Her internship is at the Center for Trauma Informed Innovation at Truman Behavioral Health were she was awarded with the Field Education Student of the Year for 2018-19 with Park University. She is a certified Peer Mentor and Facilitator with the Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network. She is also a Peer Mentor with the VA Caregiver Program. Shawn is an advocate for all caregivers and openly shares her story with the community. She was chosen as one of the Caregiver Visionary winners for Caregiving.com and will be presented the award at the 2019 National Convention in Chicago. She is also one of the presenters for the conference. Shawn is also a facilitator for the Compassion Without Fatigue workshop and QPR Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention training. Shawn has four daughters, two step-sons, and 4 grandchildren. She enjoys reading and traveling.

Rachel has been caring for her disabled veteran spouse for over 4 years. She is an Outreach, Engagement, and Training Associate with the Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network. While navigating her caregiving role and two young children, Jackson and Isabelle, she completed her Doctoral Degree in Education with an emphasis on Instructional Leadership. Rachel has always had a passion for our military community. While her husband was on active duty, she volunteered her time to strengthen the bonds of the military family. She created and executed many events to help our military service men and women find ways to reconnect with their children and spouses. This passion continued after her husband’s retirement. Today, in addition to her support of Caregivers on the Homefront she also co-facilitates the caregiver support group with Shawn which is designed to decrease isolation among veteran families while also creating an environment of empowerment and support to navigate this journey together. In her free time, she finds peace in painting, bullet journaling, reading, and traveling.