Rev. Shaun Marshall

Rev. Shaun Marshall describes the trajectory of his career in a way that rolls forward like the best stories: Each decision and influence builds on the steps taken prior, and his character grows with each new chapter. “Your life, your future, your career should be about doing the thing that makes sense of your story, that helps you to come alive in your own story,” he says. 

Marshall, who received his Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice in 2003, is the founder of Navigate Consulting, working primarily with nonprofits such as churches, housing agencies, legal aid agencies, and children’s hospitals. His work focuses on change management and transition, helping organizations revitalize or pivot their programming to be more intentional. 

He’s an adept, practiced leader today, but one of the first people to notice his early skill was ​​Teresa Cortas, AM ’93. Marshall was doing field placement at the Salvation Army for his undergraduate social work degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, and Cortas was the undergraduate internship supervisor. A graduate of the School of Social Service Administration (now the Crown Family School), she encouraged Marshall to apply to the UChicago program. 

“She understood my story” — Marshall was drawn to intern at the Salvation Army because he and his family stayed there during a period of homelessness — “and could see the trajectory that I was on,” he says. “I've picked that up as a passion: that it helps to see people in the context of their story, not just to know where they're coming from, but to get an idea of where they're headed. What is the responsibility that we have as leaders to help them along their way? Teresa modeled that for me.” 

Marshall recalls the importance of dialog during his time in the program — particularly with those who had a different background than himself. It was also a setting that taught him how to care for and support people, and how to make a practical difference by considering how systems, structures, and policy influence the way we live. 

He recalls a paper he wrote for a course with now-Professor Emerita Sharon Berlin, published in Advocates’ Forum, that blends his experience in ministry with his Crown Family School education: “​​The Cognitive-Integrative Framework and the Case of Nicole: Using Tools of Narrative Therapy and Pastoral Counseling Toward Effective Clinical Practice.” Marshall considers himself theologically informed, but also equipped and trained as a practitioner to understand that people are more than their lived experience, that they have to interact with power structures. 

After graduation from UChicago, an opportunity arose to start a church in Detroit, so he set off for Michigan where his work quickly expanded beyond baptisms and communion. Because the church was located in one of the poorest zip codes of the city, he tapped into his social work experience and helped his community with housing, job opportunities, and creating a safe space for kids.  

The decision to open a consultancy came by accident: A pastor, while preaching, said the Lord was calling Marshall to teach the church about leadership. “The pastor knew me, but never heard me teach,” Marshall says. “So we put together a leadership conference for him. And he referred me to all of his pastor and nonprofit friends.” 

Marshall says his clients often need help navigating change — in their own lives, their communities, their organizations. His role is to help them navigate both the practical and the psychological dimension of how to respond to change. 

In addition to his consultancy work, Marshall has been a pastor at numerous churches in the Chicago area and Detroit. He’s also written a book, Transition Decisions: How to Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Make Your Next Move Now. 

For those considering moving their own stories toward UChicago’s Crown Family School program, Marshall gave this advice: The answers to big questions must come internally. “They come from figuring out who you are,” he says. “What are the themes of your story? And what is the next chapter in that story?”  

In paraphrasing theologian Howard Thurman, Marshall says “to do what makes you come alive — because that’s what the world needs.”