11-15 years

Ms. Shaw has been acknowledged by many organizations over the years, including The Black United Fund, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the National Minority Supplier Development Council of PA-NJ-DE, Women Making a Difference, the Urban League of Philadelphia, the National League of Cities, Boy Scouts of America Cradle of Liberty, the Senate of Pennsylvania, and the Forum for Executive Women.

Melonease Shaw has 30 years of enterprise experience, has served as a senior executive level in a company that generated more than over $80 million in annual revenue, and in 2004, she started of her own firm, Maven, Inc., where she serves as Founder and CEO.

Maven, Inc. is a certified minority and woman-owned and operated business solutions firm headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. Maven, Inc. specializes in business development, community engagement, economic inclusion program planning and implementation, and government affairs and lobbying. Maven, Inc. uses its connections to large corporations, diverse small businesses, community organizations, elected and appointed officials, and federal, state, and local government agencies to help its clients achieve specific business goals and objectives.

Before starting Maven, Inc., Ms. Shaw, for more than 15 years, provided leadership with PRWT Holdings, Inc., a national corporation specializing in technical and operations services. She served in a number of capacities, including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. During her tenure, she managed two subsidiary companies with 25 locations across the country, and more than 1,200 people. Ms. Shaw's relentless drive and enthusiasm helped to propel the exponential growth of PRWT Holdings, Inc. during its critical formative years.

Prior to joining PRWT Holdings, Inc., Ms. Shaw was Owner and President of Development Planning Associates (DPA), a data management and processing enterprise. At DPA, Ms. Shaw defined her business development objectives, coordinated all sales activities, and ensured product quality and customer satisfaction. All of these skills were integral components in her ability to successfully develop and implement her business plan for Maven, Inc.

Throughout her career, Ms. Shaw has always been keenly interested in the needs of women and people of color. Ms. Shaw has worked to improve the skills of women transitioning from welfare to work, and designed and implemented career-counseling programs, including developing curriculum and training materials. She has also shared her time and talents with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Mayor's Commission for Women, the Pennsylvania Women's Campaign Fund, and the Cradle of Liberty - Boy Scouts of America.

She has served on the boards of the Pennsylvania Economy League, Partnership for the Advancement of Self-Sufficiency, the Urban League of Philadelphia, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and Universal Companies Charter Schools. Ms. Shaw is currently a member of the African-American Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council, the African-American Government Relations Group, Juneteenth Host Committee, the Pennsylvania Association for Government Relations, and She Can Win.

STEPHEN M. DEFRANK is a senior advisor in Buchanan's state government relations group. He joins Buchanan after spending 23 years of his career in Pennsylvania state government. His most recent position was chief of staff for Senator Lisa M. Boscola.

Steve brings process and policy expertise to our Pennsylvania Government Relations Practice, having worked in state government for more than 20 years. He has served in several roles in his over two decades with the Senate of Pennsylvania, including chief of staff, committee executive director, and policy director. Steve called on his strengths differently in each of those roles: as a chief of staff for Sen. Lisa Boscola, he used his organizational skills and ability to multitask to advance the senator's legislative agenda in Harrisburg and manage constituent outreach and communications in her district office. As Executive Director for the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee, Steve grasped new concepts quickly and effectively, and developed an area of expertise in issues affecting the energy and utility sectors. As Policy Director, he worked as a jack of all trades to advance a caucus-wide agenda that included initiatives related to legalized gaming, community and economic development, workforce development, education initiatives and government reform.