Meet DeJonaé Shaw

DeJonaé’s service is driven by her values—the values she learned through overcoming adversity and the values she shares with so many working families in Rancho Cucamonga. She believes everyone deserves access to vital resources and strong communities are built through collective action and mutual support.

The odds were stacked against DeJonaé from the beginning—an absent father and a mother battling addiction. She overcame a challenging childhood by seeking out mentors and lifting herself out of the cycle of poverty and addiction that traps too many families.

She rose above negative influences to become her siblings’ protector, growing up fast and taking on parenting roles as a child to ensure her brothers and sisters were fed and succeeded in school. When a car accident sidelined her dreams as a young graduate and left her homeless, DeJonaé demonstrated remarkable resilience. She saved up and fought to get back on her feet, working nights while attending classes during the day to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse.

For more than a decade, DeJonaé has been a prominent health care advocate and community leader. As a Licensed Vocational Nurse, she has been on the frontlines helping San Bernardino County families get healthy. As Vice Chair of the Legislation andEducation Committee at her health care union, DeJonaé has worked to unite healthcare workers to create solutions in workplace safety, fair wages, and patient care.

She successfully advocated for the National Workplace Violence Prevention Health Care and Social Service Workers Act and fought for contracts that improve wages and benefits. Under DeJonaé’s leadership, her union has become a driving force in shaping policy and systems-level change, breaking down barriers so that all workers can thrive.

DeJonaé has championed local initiatives including youth mentorship through Greater Empire Pageants, empowering hundreds of young people to find confidence and build self-esteem. She founded Coterie Cares, a nonprofit organization focused on youth empowerment through interactive career development activities and has partnered with Just Us 4 Youth and the Young Women’s Empowerment Summit to expand opportunities for young people.