Shawn Jensen, PLA, ASLA, member-at-large

Education: Phoenix Institute of Technology

Occupation: Landscape architect and principal at Bruce Dees & Associates, LLC, an award-winning Tacoma-based landscape architecture firm.

Professional qualifications: Licensed landscape architect; over 35 years in the design/construction industry; involved in all phases of design and construction of numerous local, county, and state parks and recreation projects over the past 30 years; member of the American Society of Landscape Architects; associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineers; and commercial member of the Sports Turf Managers Association.

Personal information: Born and raised in Washington State, a resident of Key Peninsula since the early 1990's, and married to my best friend, Claudia (Sami), together we have raised six kids in this community with the two youngest still in the Peninsula School District. I enjoy all aspects of our beautiful outdoors from hiking/walking at 360 Trails and walking our dogs, to fishing local rivers and riding ATV's on the Oregon Coast dunes.

Community involvement: Former member of the Key Peninsula Fire Department's Citizen Advisory Panel and current Key Peninsula Fire Commissioner (position 3); 2015 graduate of the Pierce County Sheriff Community Academy; annual Parks Appreciation Day volunteer; "adopted" the 360 Trails thru Key Pen Parks' Adopt-a-Park program, where my family has performed volunteer maintenance, tree planting, clean-up, etc.; and frequent volunteer with various other community and school activities over the years.

Personal views: Having raised kids in this community, the importance of having local parks facilities and recreational places for families to enjoy here on the Key Peninsula has always been a priority for me. The park district has done an admirable job of responsibly acquiring future park properties over the past few years. Having these properties is an important first step in meeting the recreational needs of the citizens of this wonderful peninsula. As a local landscape architect, it’s my hope that my experience, specifically parks and recreation work, will be of benefit to our board of commissioners as we work together to improve these sites into beautiful parks facilities that meet the growing needs of the citizens of the Key Peninsula while being cost effective, utilizing all available alternative funding sources whenever possible.