Ed Shenkan joined our Club on December 10, 2019, but says that he has always had Rotary in his genes! Ed’s great grandfather and grandfather were Rotarians, and his father Sid has been a Rotarian in New Castle, Pennsylvania for over 60 years (previous club president and regional chair of Polio Plus). Ed proudly says that Rotary had a meaningful impact on his life by sponsoring him for a year of study in Épinal, France as a high school Rotary Exchange Student. For over 30 years, he has continued his friendship with his three French homestay families.
As a result of the positive impact on his life from his exchange year in France, he and his wife Amy chose the French American International School in San Francisco beginning at age 4 for their daughter Maddie. Maddie is now in 12th grade and is preparing to graduate with the French Baccalaureate designation.
Ed and his family lived in Paris for Maddie’s 8th and 9th grade school years while she attended a Parisian school. While in France, Maddie built friendships with the kids of Ed’s French Rotary host families. Ed credits these international, multigenerational friendships to Rotary!
During college, the Rotary club in San Jose, Costa Rica hosted Ed for a summer where he studied labor relations and became conversant in Spanish.
Ed is also passionate about healthcare. As the CEO of Shenkan Advisors, Ed works with public and private healthcare companies to develop business strategy, conduct due diligence on acquisitions, and analyze operational issues for management and the board. Before founding Shenkan Advisors in 2009, he spent a decade as a healthcare equity research analyst at J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo Securities, and Needham. His operations experience includes positions in marketing, business development, and district sales management for Schering Plough, a pharmaceutical company. Ed also currently serves on the Board of GI Scientific.
Ed and his wife Amy love to hike and travel. To celebrate his 50th birthday, he has several hiking trips planned including two trips to Yosemite, his favorite national park!
As the VP of International Service, Ed is inspired by our Club’s international projects including the partnership with Alliance for Smiles sponsoring medical missions to treat cleft palate patients and the clean drinking water projects in India. Ed welcomes those interested in international service to join his Committee.
Editor's Note: In this column, we spotlight a current Board member so that you can learn more about this member and his role. If you would like to contact this Board member or join his committee, go here.