The President of IAOTP, Stephanie Cirami, stated, “We are honored to have Danute as part of the IAOTP family. She provides visionary leadership as a female entrepreneur, and her extraordinary accomplishments prove she will empower women worldwide. We look forward to celebrating all her merits at the Annual Awards Gala and cannot wait to see more amazing things from this woman.”
With 30 years of experience in management, organization, and law across a diverse range of industries—including broadcasting, corporate, government, aviation, and non-profit, Ms. Debney Shaw brings a wealth of expertise to her role. A dynamic and results-driven leader, she founded CelaPhontus, LLC, which specializes in developing innovative strategies for leadership, management, and professional and personal growth. Renowned for her vision, insight, and creative decision-making, Ms. Debney Shaw provides training and consultation services across the U.S. and England. Her broad background and integrated skill sets enable her to offer unique, out-of-the-box solutions to complex challenges.
Ms. Debney Shaw’s diverse career, which spans multiple industries and locations, highlights her adaptability and versatility. She began her professional journey as a network operations supervisor and later as a unit manager for a prominent broadcasting corporation in New York City. While attending law school, she contributed to developing documentation content for a quarterly report for a homeless health and human services organization in Los Angeles. Ms.Debney Shaw gained valuable experience as a law clerk/judicial assistant in Bankruptcy Law within the federal courts. She went on to serve as a contracts negotiator for a major airline in San Francisco, managing both domestic and international agreements. In Washington, D.C., she worked with a financial services law firm and continues to periodically serve as a discovery attorney on large litigations, government investigations, and mergers and acquisitions for prominent law firms in Washington, D.C., and New York.
Before embarking on her professional journey, Ms. Debney Shaw earned a B.A. in Broadcast Communications, minoring in Psychology from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. She then pursued her Juris Doctor degree at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law in Inglewood, CA. Demonstrating her commitment to continuous learning and professional development, she secured a prestigious externship with former Chief Judge Terry Hatter of the Central District Court in California.
Throughout her rich and diverse career, Ms. Debney Shaw has received awards and accolades and has been widely recognized for her accomplishments. Last year she was awarded IAOTP’s Top International Speaker, Author & Decision Strategist of the Year for 2024. This year, she was featured on the famous Nasdaq Billboard in Times Square NYC and she will be honored at IAOTP’s annual awards gala at the magnificent Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas this December for her selection as Empowered Woman of the Year. Ms. Debney Shaw was also recognized in Marquis Who’s Who 2024/2025 Her notable honors include the “Most Inspiring Employee” award from United Airlines Maintenance Services Division in 2005, the University of West Los Angeles Graduating Class Representative Outstanding Service Award in 1996, and membership in the Psi Chi Honor Society in Psychology during her time at Marquette University.
Ms. Debney Shaw is also an accomplished author. In March 2020, she published How The Tin Man Found His Brain – One Attorney’s Path for Perceptual Development through Balboa Press, which earned the International Impact Book Award in the Self-Help category in 2024. She also authored the article Global Forums: A Potential Resource for Young Lawyers’ Domestic Practice, published in the ABA Business Law – Young Lawyers Electronic Newsletter in July/August 2012.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ms. Debney Shaw engages with several organizations, including the Arts Club of Washington in Washington, D.C., the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (Washington, D.C. Branch), the Delta Theta Phi National Law Fraternity, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies – an international policy institution. She has served as Vice-Chair of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Section for the Barristers Club of the City Bar Association in San Francisco and as a volunteer business mentor for CEO Women, helping immigrant women achieve financial independence. Additionally, she was a local community facilitator for the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and has recently become an advisory board member for an animal rescue organization.
Looking back, Ms. Debney Shaw attributes her success to her perseverance, work ethic, mentors along the way, and her experience surviving cancer. But, first and foremost, the fundamental and formative influence of her family, who overcame monumental obstacles in their lives. When not working, she enjoys traveling, reading, music, and art. Her next book, “The Five Lives of Agnieszka” will be published by Balboa Press in 2025.
For more information, please visit: http://www.celaphontus.com/
