Advocacy
Shawn’s advocacy spans more than fifteen years and a wide range of issues, from Iran diplomacy and gun policy to climate and immigration, and a career spent advising leaders from mayors and members of Congress to senators and presidents. #AfghanEvac is his largest sustained effort, but it is one chapter in a longer record.
Issue Areas
Building the #AfghanEvac coalition and pressing successive administrations on TPS, Special Immigrant Visa reform, and the treatment of wartime allies and other immigrants caught in shifting enforcement priorities.
Public commentary on the Iran nuclear deal, military readiness, and critical infrastructure protection, grounded in a Navy career spent inside combat systems and emergency management.
A Navy firearms instructor and gun owner who has argued publicly, including in The Daily Beast, HuffPost, USA Today, and The Guardian, for common-sense gun safety measures.
Writing and commentary urging veterans and national security leaders to treat climate change as a security issue, including in Task & Purpose.
A career-long focus on veterans’ employment, housing, healthcare, and civic participation, from the Three Wise Men Veterans Foundation to the federally appointed Veterans Community Oversight and Engagement Board. Part of No Exceptions, the advocacy effort that helped open all military combat jobs to women in December 2015.
Board service and civic institution-building in San Diego, from the Convention Center to the Downtown San Diego Partnership, focused on strengthening local governance and representation.
Flagship Initiative
When Kabul fell in August 2021, Shawn VanDiver got a call from a friend still on the ground in Afghanistan. What began as one Navy veteran working the phones became #AfghanEvac, a coalition that has since grown to more than 250 organizations working directly with the U.S. government on Afghan relocation and resettlement. Journalists at the time described the volunteer effort as a “digital Dunkirk,” a round-the-clock, citizen-led operation racing to get wartime allies out before it was too late.
What started as an emergency response has become durable infrastructure. As founder, president, and CEO, Shawn negotiated and leads #AfghanEvac’s civil-society partnership with the U.S. government, directly shaping the policy that has supported the resettlement of more than 195,000 Afghan allies and their families, one of the largest humanitarian operations in American history. The coalition has secured working partnerships with the White House, the National Security Council, and federal agencies.
#AfghanEvac also builds tools, not just talking points. Shawn led development of V-PRIC, the Visa Pathways and Relocation Information Center (pathways.afghanevac.org), a free, continuously verified guide to U.S. visa classifications and global resettlement pathways available in English, Dari, and Pashto.
On the Record
Regular briefings, Hill Day delegations, and testimony on Afghan resettlement, Special Immigrant Visa reform, and continuity of the U.S. refugee ecosystem, including a 2024 panel before the House Committee on House Administration.
Sustained partnership with the White House, the National Security Council, and federal agencies across the State Department, DHS, DoD, and VA, described by Ambassador John Bass as one of the most effective public-private cooperation models in recent U.S. history.
Public pressure and press engagement on TPS terminations, SIV backlogs, and, most recently, oversight of the death of an Afghan ally in ICE custody, keeping a media spotlight on outcomes for Afghan allies as the story moves further from the 2021 withdrawal.
Trusted Counsel
Over two decades, Shawn has moved fluidly between the fleet, the campaign trail, and the boardroom, advising decision-makers up and down the ballot on national security, veterans policy, and crisis communications.
Recognized by the President of the United States and senior Cabinet officials for leadership on national security and humanitarian policy, backed by sustained working relationships across the White House and National Security Council.
Regular briefings and counsel to senators and members of Congress on Afghan resettlement, veterans policy, and national security, backed by a national security advisory role on campaigns including Hillary for America and Scott Peters for Congress.
Advises mayors and city leaders as an appointee of the San Diego City Council and through Gaslamp Consulting’s government relations work, translating policy into results at the local level.
Civic Leadership
Selected Writing
Shawn has published commentary and analysis in national and regional outlets since 2010, on national security, veterans’ issues, gun policy, and, since 2021, Afghan resettlement.
A complete publications and media history, spanning more than 80 bylined articles and broadcast appearances since 2010, is available on request.