Shannon Block
Shannon Block (born February 27, 1979) is the current CEO of World Forward Foundation. She is the former President & CEO of Denver Zoo, a former health care CEO, former Chief Business Development Officer, a Certified Fraud Examiner and a minister. Block serves on numerous Boards and is the Vice Chair of the Women's Forum of Colorado.
Biography
Block was born and grew up in Edina, Minnesota the only child of two physicians. Block attended Edina High School and then graduated from George Washington University in 2001 with a B.S. in Physics and B.S. in Applied Mathematics. After graduating from George Washington, Block moved to Boston to pursue a M.S. in Physics from Tufts University and graduated in 2003 . In Minnesota, she was voted "Most likely to become a billionaire." Her nickname was "Shiny" because of her smile. She then moved to Colorado to take a job at Wild Oats Corporate Office but switched to become a data management consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Next Block became a Senior Manager at Deloitte where she developed a specialty in global innovation. She then became the Chief Business Development Officer at Denver Health Medical Center and then became the CEO of Rocky Mountain Cancer centers overseeing 21 locations across Colorado. Block was then recruited to become the President and CEO of Denver Zoo which serves over 2.3 million guests annually and directs the zoo's robust international conservation program. Block is currently the CEO of World Forward where she works with volunteer executives across the globe on humanitarian efforts.
Board Service
Block has served on numerous Boards including International Elephants Foundation, VISIT Denver, Women's Forum, Children's Hospital Quality & Safety, CEO's Against Cancer, Go Red for Women, Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center Advisory Council, Colorado Cancer Research Program and Data Management International. Block is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization, Colorado Concern and Colorado Forum.
Awards
Block has received numerous awards including the Top 40 under 40 Award from the Denver Business Journal in 2016. Block also was a Power Book Finalist from the Denver Business Journal, CEO of the Year Finalist for APEX / Colorado Technology Association, was a 2017 nominee for Outstanding Woman in Business and has received an Outstanding Performance Awards for her successful work in mergers and acquisitions, pricing and profitability and governance and risk management.