John Shadowens joins University of Illinois Extension as a visiting community and economic development educator to work on food access in the southernmost 11 counties as part of the SNAP-Education HEAT (Health Equity Achieved Together) project. John was the CEO of Spero Family Services in Mount Vernon IL since 2015. John brings to Extension over 20 years of community engagement and development in coalition work, grassroots education, and organizing.

John hopes to help others thrive by building skills and awareness to develop their lives and strengthen their communities through education, partnerships, and planning. He holds a Master of Public Administration from SIU-Carbondale and a Bachelor of Psychology from Southeast Missouri State University.  John is the author of “Legacy Lost: Cultural Erosion, Social Isolation and the Effect on Children and Families at Risk”.