Shawn Banzhaf with ASU Pat Tillman Veterans Center
Our mission is to empower and engage our ASU military and veteran community with their academic and personal success here at ASU and beyond.
Shawn Banzhaf [Bon-zof] (he/him/his) is a highly innovative trainer and fresh author who inspires others around him to learn. He is considered by many to be an experienced developer of people, which is appropriate to the origin of his name: Banz in German (South) is a maker of vats and drinking vessels, and hafen means “pot.” He longs to help form people (vessels) to be most receptive to great things in life.
For twenty-one years Shawn served the United States in the Army National Guard. He retired as the acting First Sergeant of the 1057th Transportation Company. He is an Iraqi War Veteran, during which he was awarded the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge during 100 combat missions in and around Baghdad, Ramadi and Fallujah. His unit, the 1074th Transportation Company, was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation during their year long campaign. Training Soldiers was his passion and he was afforded the opportunity to train thousands of them during his military career. Shawn also served his community as a police sergeant before becoming a full-time pastor.
Shawn has been connected to the Trauma Informed Movement across Arizona, through which he has been a guest trainer on the topics of PTSD and suicide prevention within the veteran community.
Since 2015 Shawn has been a part of the Pat Tillman Veteran Center at Arizona State University and currently serves as the Senior Military Advocate for their center in service of over 10,000 military-affiliated students.
Shawn is a lead facilitator for ASU’s Trek for Vets in partnership with Huts for Vets Wilderness Therapy.
Shawn is the creator of the 5 Ls: A Practical Guide for Helping Loved Ones Heal After Trauma. He has trained over a thousand individuals on how using this method is a tool anyone can use with a loved one struggling with PTSD, whether veteran or not.
