Her Story
About Shavonne
Shavonne Hedgepeth is a transportation professional with six years of experience in the public transit sector. She works in capital planning at Metro, helping to manage a $9 billion capital program by turning stakeholder ideas into investments such as new railcars and buses to improve the lives of riders. Prior to entering the transportation field during the pandemic, she worked in commercial real estate but chose to pursue public service full time after reflecting on her lifelong commitment to volunteering and advocacy. Hedgepeth holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a master's degree in library and information sciences from the University of Maryland College Park, and a master's degree in public administration from Cornell University, completing all three degrees in four years. She is a member of the Junior League of Prince George's County, the History Honor Society Phi Alpha Theta, and the Public Administration Honor Society Phi Alpha Alpha. She recently ran for Congress in Maryland's Fourth District.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shavonne
01What do you attribute your success to?
My grandma was my first best friend and one of the hardest-working women I'd ever known. She worked at Graveyard, integrated Children's Hospital ICU RN unit, had the first national Black nurse registry, and owned a bakery. She made sure I had piano lessons and ballet lessons and allowed me to exist in the fullness of a childhood. She always told me never let nobody tell you no, you'll get a thousand no's but you'll always get one yes, never give up on what you believe in, and always be tenacious. That's why I never give up.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Always be myself. Never try to shrink or accommodate someone else's shortcomings by pulling away from who you are. I've always been told I'm a breath of fresh air and the personality hire that actually works because I'll make friends with anyone. There are so many amazing people out there and the only way you get to know how amazing they are is if you show up as yourself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be curious. Understand that you don't know everything. Understand that there are aspects of knowledge that you can never learn in a textbook in most of these fields. So be open and respectful to everyone that you interact with because they are the glue holding the organization together most of the time.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Every challenge is an opportunity, but the biggest challenge is people understanding the scale, the work and the heart that goes into running transportation agencies and the type of people that have to be in those seats in order to design a system to work for the public. A lot of people lose sight of the fact that most of the people in public service do it because they love it, not for the money. The majority of public service workers work in that agency or with that organization for the mission.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, but everything has to be built upon the foundation of having grace and not assuming the worst in people. We live such full lives outside of the people that we interact with on a daily basis. Having grace, being honest, living with a baseline understanding of integrity, and being patient. There's a lot to know about being patient.
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