Hi. I’m Shana (pronounced “Hanna” with an S), and my last name is like an Etch A Sketch meets María—just call me Shana.

From Chorrillos, Perú, to the front lines of US Southern Command, I’ve learned that leadership is built on trust, adaptability, and lifting others up, especially when it matters most.

As the Senior Enlisted Leader for Religious Affairs, I strengthen US partnerships across Central and South America and the Caribbean through interfaith dialogue, human rights advocacy, and direct support for warfighters and their families. I’ve led teams through crises, built rapid-response systems, and tackled every challenge as a chance to grow.

Fluent in Spanish and English, I hold a degree in Global Security and Strategy Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. My leadership is shaped by real-world pressure and training with Next Jump, a Harvard-recognized learning organization.

I believe in finding the way out, not staying stuck in regret. My mission is to rise, build, and bless: to help others turn struggle into strength and to create communities where trust, hope, and resilience thrive.

If you’re exploring what’s next for yourself, your team, or your community, I’d love to connect. Find me on X @shanaetch.

The views and external links presented in this space are my own and do not represent the views of DoD or its components.

2023

SOUTHCOM Religious Leader Engagement Strategy - Fighting bureaucracy every step of the way, planting seeds nonetheless.

US Air & Space Force Chaplain Corps HOPE Initiative - Beta testing with seven active and reserve bases, more info soon.

2022

Defense Ventures Alumni - Shift’s Defense Ventures Immersion is a partnership with AFWERX to deliver an industry immersion program that selects innovative officers, enlisted, and civilians during their careers to join venture capital and technology companies across the US for eight weeks to bring the latest commercial tech trends and innovation back to the Department of Defense. Experience an innovation deployment like no other. More info here

Design Warfare Graduate - Design Warfare is a 30-day course that combines a Design Thinking curriculum, Spak Cell operations, and project-based learning with project curation to create open-minded Airmen with knowledge and experience. Graduates join a network of empowered, motivated Airmen to actualize innovative ideas, processes, and changes within the Department of Defense. Join the network here

Robotic Process Automation - Identifying repetitive tasks in our customer service and financial department. We are using UiPath StudioX.

Exemption To Navy & Air Force Policy Requested for the Navy and the Air Force to allow our team to operate with rules that bring financial collaboration rather than contradiction.

Building Better Decision Makers - In today's wildly uncertain & rapidly changing world, high performance boils down to your ability to make good decisions. With the right training, applying judgment is teachable and indefinitely upgradable. Get started here.

2021

Base Wide Water Crisis - Over 14K gallons of fuel contaminated the water that supplies several military houses. Since Thanksgiving, our team has worked 24/7 to bring relief to families affected by this crisis creatively. Many of them live in hotels, uncertain when to move back home. More info here.

COVID Vaccine Religious Accommodation - We had short notice to develop a process and support the members who requested this exemption. We had a system in less than 72 hours and processed 86 requests across Hawaii and the mainland. We devoted about 8 hours per customer to ensure we provided the best support. We listened to over 300 customers express their concerns and frustrations and helped them decipher the process for themselves or their direct reports. The chaplains interviewed those that pursued the exemption and verified that they had a complete package. We were able to accomplish this in less than four weeks. The Air Force has only approved less than 15 requests, while 3,600 have been denied. More info here.

People

“Something revolutionary happens in the heart when you recognize that every single person you will ever meet is made in the image of God.”

— Jacky Hill-Perry

“As you grow as a leader in any org, all of the things in your past (the trauma, tragedies, conflict) that you run away from will pursue you until you confront & integrate them.”

— Garry Tan

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

— Winston Churchill

Books

Los Heraldos Negros by Cesar Vallejo. Los Heraldos Negros poem

Tradiciones Peruanas by Ricardo Palma. La Llorona Del Viernes Santo

Gnomes by Wil Huygen. Lovely set of stories and observations about gnomes.

Documentaries

The Insanity Of God - The Insanity of God is the true story of missionaries Nik and Ruth Ripken. After the death of their son, this ordinary couple journeys into the depths of the persecuted church, asking the question- IS JESUS WORTH IT?

Writing With Fire - In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Armed with smartphones, Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, be it on the frontlines of India's biggest issues or within the confines of their homes, redefining what it means to be powerful.