About

Shawna R. McMillan is an educator, advocate, and community leader committed to building advocacy that outlives us. She brings more than a decade of experience in youth development, family engagement, academic intervention, and recent nonprofit education advocacy to her work with families and communities navigating special education systems.

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Shawna is the founder of Navigating Advocacy for Meaningful Education (N.A.M.E.), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families, particularly those with children with disabilities, in accessing equitable and inclusive education. N.A.M.E. was established to ensure that children, especially Black and Brown students, are not left behind in systems that often lack clarity, transparency, and accountability.

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Her work focuses on special education advocacy, IEP and 504 Plan navigation, and disability inclusion within schools, afterschool programs, and community-based organizations. Shawna specializes in helping families understand their rights, build confidence in school-based decision-making, and access practical, culturally responsive supports that honor both their lived experiences and their children’s needs. Her approach to education advocacy is rooted in relationship-building and community knowledge. She believes meaningful inclusion is not achieved through compliance alone, but through informed families, inclusive organizations, and systems designed with accessibility and dignity at the center. Her work blends instructional expertise, program design, and family advocacy to help communities create environments where every learner can thrive. In addition to leading N.A.M.E., Shawna is pursuing a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Special Education Leadership. Her research centers the leadership practices and lived experiences of Black women in out-of-school-time and community-based education settings, insights that directly inform the justice-driven, community-facing foundation of N.A.M.E.’s mission.

 

Across her work, Shawna has designed tutoring and intervention programs, supported nonprofit organizations in strengthening inclusive practices, and partnered with community stakeholders to expand access to education supports. At the heart of her leadership is a commitment to demystifying special education, empowering families as advocates, and building systems of support that endure beyond any single program or person.