40 UNDER 40
Untitled Page
Shawna Smith Gotreau
Executive Director, Taller San Jose
By Elaine Murphy & Sarah VaughnPublished: May 01, 2012
Shawna Smith Gotreau is the executive director of Taller San Jose, a job training center for low-income and troubled young adults ages 18 to 28 in O.C. (the word “taller” in Spanish means “workshop”). Program participants receive an education and key job skills.
Taller San Jose also employs program graduates through its subsidiary, Hope Builders Inc., which creates affordable housing in the county. Gotreau is proud that 89 percent of the program’s graduates are still employed after one year, and she plans to double the size of Hope Builders over the next two years.
It’s no surprise that she is passionate about helping others rise above poverty. “There are few things more rewarding than watching a young person’s future open up before their eyes and knowing your efforts helped make that possible.”
She says the best business advice she has received is to “empower those who work with you to do what they are best at” and to “surround yourself with honest advisors who care about the organization.” She has clearly taken that advice to heart. tallersanjose.org
First job: Hardware store cashier
OC METRO's 2012 40 UNDER 40
Lily Knowles ≈ Ashleigh Aitken ≈ Jeremy Yamaguchi
Kevin Willson ≈ Megan Lavender ≈ Jason Lucash
Tan Rezaei & Navid Firoozi ≈ Julie Schoenbachler
Chris Winn ≈ Shawna Smith Gotreau ≈ Matt Petteruto
Kelly Lewis ≈ Justin Choi ≈ Marissa Gerlach ≈ Josh McCarter
Brian Davis ≈ Patrick Strader ≈ Quy "Q" Nguyen
Carla Vargas ≈ Patrick Rue ≈ Jennifer Tucker Klein
Brandon Burton ≈ Lauren O’Gorman ≈ Inna Kassatkina
Tom Reimers ≈ Jackie Ferlita ≈ Eric Bender
Dale Partridge & Aaron Chavez ≈ Danny Sonenshine
Russell Bendel ≈ Sandra Jones ≈ Balaji Krishna
Saimah Chaudhry ≈ Dan Nasitka ≈ Laura Hess
Kohl Crecelius ≈ Larry Labrado Jr. ≈ Melissa Beck
Jeremy Linehan ≈ Stephen Silver
<<< Back to main page
|
||||
|
Taller San Jose also employs program graduates through its subsidiary, Hope Builders Inc., which creates affordable housing in the county. Gotreau is proud that 89 percent of the program’s graduates are still employed after one year, and she plans to double the size of Hope Builders over the next two years. It’s no surprise that she is passionate about helping others rise above poverty. “There are few things more rewarding than watching a young person’s future open up before their eyes and knowing your efforts helped make that possible.” She says the best business advice she has received is to “empower those who work with you to do what they are best at” and to “surround yourself with honest advisors who care about the organization.” She has clearly taken that advice to heart. tallersanjose.org First job: Hardware store cashier OC METRO's 2012 40 UNDER 40
Lily Knowles ≈ Ashleigh Aitken ≈ Jeremy Yamaguchi
Kevin Willson ≈ Megan Lavender ≈ Jason Lucash Tan Rezaei & Navid Firoozi ≈ Julie Schoenbachler Chris Winn ≈ Shawna Smith Gotreau ≈ Matt Petteruto Kelly Lewis ≈ Justin Choi ≈ Marissa Gerlach ≈ Josh McCarter Brian Davis ≈ Patrick Strader ≈ Quy "Q" Nguyen Carla Vargas ≈ Patrick Rue ≈ Jennifer Tucker Klein Brandon Burton ≈ Lauren O’Gorman ≈ Inna Kassatkina Tom Reimers ≈ Jackie Ferlita ≈ Eric Bender Dale Partridge & Aaron Chavez ≈ Danny Sonenshine Russell Bendel ≈ Sandra Jones ≈ Balaji Krishna Saimah Chaudhry ≈ Dan Nasitka ≈ Laura Hess Kohl Crecelius ≈ Larry Labrado Jr. ≈ Melissa Beck Jeremy Linehan ≈ Stephen Silver <<< Back to main page |
||||
