Shawn Glen Pierson embarked on his career in a small but significant design firm in the heart of the nation's capital at a time of great calling.

He participated within a noted firm to help establish and advance the acknowledgement and responsible stewardship of the historic core of Washington DC, with undeniable impact.

Given a civic-minded focus on Historic Preservation and community, constant and often-related companions were commercial, institutional, mixed-use development and bespoke single family homes. The constant reminder, ingredient and inspiration was great design.

His experience is hands-on: listening closely and carefully, translating a client's vision into a responsive and holistic concept and following through with the orchestration of design, details and construction to achieve the right balance.

He coordinates the efforts of designers, consultants, artists and artisans, working directly and effectively within the community and with government and inspection officials to guide each client to meet their unique challenge.

"For the designer, there is great freedom of expression and the puzzle of relating many discreet parts within a cohesive whole...with the opportunity and challenge of bringing an array of systems and materials together to form spaces of human scale, revealing and intimate detail...and delight."

Mr. Pierson recognized his calling early. He was raised in an extraordinary house that captured his eye, fueled his imagination and sparked a lifelong interest in and love of design.

"I recall myself as a young boy, accompanying my Mother, Anne Byrne, as she accomplished household shopping and chores about town. Whenever I could steal a moment while Mom was busy, I would look around the space - a shop, the bank - and draw the floor plan on whatever scrap of paper was available. I drew intuitively, as I don't believe that I had yet to encounter a 'real' floor plan.

"My father, William McKinley Pierson, was a teacher. Most days after school he would take me along to the public library, where in the reading room he would correct papers and prepare lesson plans, giving me freedom to explore the stacks on my own. I was too young to read books for adults, so I gravitated toward those with pictures: collections of art, photography, design and buildings.

"Fifteen years later, home from university on holiday, I visited that public library to study my School of Engineering and Architecture coursework. Exploring again, in the pages of a monograph on the great Swiss modernist Le Corbusier, I found a small red ink drawing I instantly recognized as my own. Preserved there was the hand-drawn floor plan of my "dream house", sketched as a young boy and left for me to rediscover. This was a revelation and affirmation. I am still drawing dreams."

Our design projects have included properties of three Presidential candidates, two Supreme Court justices, two United States Senators, a Secretary of Defense and a director of National Intelligence. A career in the Nation’s Capital affords opportunities for public service.

not for profit leadership

On March 17, 2013, Shawn Glen Pierson founded Friends of Bobby Jones Golf Club Inc., a Florida Not For Profit corporation with 501 (c) (3) Internal Revenue Code tax deductible, tax exempt and Public Charity status.

The mission of Friends of Bobby Jones Golf Club, Inc. is to enhance the experience at BOBBY JONES GOLF CLUB for City of Sarasota and area residents and visitors; and to help effect, through sponsorship of projects, programs and events, the Four Initiatives.

Friends of Bobby Jones Golf Club Inc. continues to drive public engagement, conversation and consideration of investment in the future of the City’s historic golf assets toward the sustainability and full interactive utilization of the 360+ acre property representing half the City’s designated parkland.

Mr. Pierson serves as President, as Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Chairs the Executive Committee.

Shawn, a Founding CHARTER MEMBER of Friends of Bobby Jones Golf Club, Inc., was re-elected to the Board of Trustees in 2016, and to the office of President for 2013 and each succeeding calendar year.

In 2011, Shawn was appointed by the Sarasota City Commission to the sole seat representing the interests of Bobby Jones Golf Club on the City of Sarasota Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection Advisory Board, to which he was elected Vice Chair in 2013, reappointed by the City Commission and again elected Vice Chair in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

In his first term on the Board, Shawn authored the 177-page comprehensive study, RRx: The Reports Report: Analysis, Context and Recommendations for Sustainable Investment in Bobby Jones Golf Club. The Reports Report, framing the genesis for Friends of Bobby Jones Golf Club, Inc. and its Initiatives, was unanimously approved by the Board and recommended to the City Commission in 2013.

Mr. Pierson attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Design Golf Course Design and Development Institute. 

Each Golf Course Design instructor, Geoffrey S. Cornish, Fellow, ASGCA, 1982 Donald Ross Award recipient, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member and author of five classic books on golf course design; and author Robert Muir Graves served as American Society of Golf Course Architects President.

ASGCA Past President Dr. Michael Hurdzan, PhD, 2007 Donald Ross Award recipient, author of the industry "bible", Golf Course Architecture and co-designer of 2017 United States Open Championship venue Erin Hills, was Shawn’s instructor for Environmental Impacts of Golf Courses

Shawn is a member of the United States Golf Association, the Florida State Golf Association, and is a Charter Member of the Donald Ross Society. He served as a GOLFWEEK Magazine Course Rater.

Mr. Pierson was selected by the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources as one of nine contributors to its 2015 premier publication, Florida Historic Golf Trail. 

Shawn was a contributor to the 2016 Cob Carlson produced documentary film Donald Ross: Discovering the Legend.

Shawn’s research and writing is cited in the 2016 book, The Life & Times of Donald Ross by Chris Buie, published by Classics of Golf.

civic engagement

In other civic endeavors, in 2016 Mr. Pierson was elected to the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, on which he serves today.

In 2016 he completed the University of Florida / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Florida Waters Stewardship Program.

In 2013, Shawn earned Certification in Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) from the Public Interest Design Institute at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Shawn was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners in 2012 to serve on the Sarasota Tree Advisory Council, reappointed in 2015 and twice elected Chair.

Mr. Pierson was author of the Prevention Committee report in the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness effort toward its signature StepUp Plan to End Homelessness in Sarasota County.

Following this work, Shawn served as Founding Chair of the South County One Stop Center Starting Committee, established to plan for a coordinated resource serving the homeless population in southern Sarasota County.

Mr. Pierson graduated from both the City of Sarasota's Citizens Academy and Sarasota County's Civics 101, and holds County Certification of Grant Workshop completion for eligibility of award of Neighborhood Grants.

Shawn Glen Pierson 240.731.6278