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Board Spotlight
Shields Blankenship- Veterans



Shields Blankenship, a Roswell resident for 12 years, has always lived next to Roswell Area Park, enjoying the benefits that the area offers, such as the nature of the park and vibrant social life. In addition to Roswell Rotary, he is a member of Sons of the American Revolution and the American Legion.

Originally from South Carolina but growing up in Winston-Salem, NC, Shields returned to South Carolina for college, graduating from the University of South Carolina with a BA in History. As a result, he feels obligated to support its unorthodox football program, regardless of performance or quality of the coaching staff. He also completed an MBA in International Business at Georgia State and an MA in International Political Economy from the University of Kent Brussels School of International Studies.

After college, he was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the Army, serving for six years in Germany and Ft. Benning. This foundational experience led to his learning how to speak German, which further led to his current career in supply chain management at Siemens. Now working for them in Alpharetta, he also worked for them in Germany for 4.5 years. Taking a break from Siemens for about six years, he worked as a contractor in Afghanistan and in procurement in United Nations peacekeeping missions in sub-Saharan Africa (Congo, Liberia and Kenya).

Other than that, Shields enjoys traveling, having been to over 100 countries on 6 continents and 40 states. He also likes to socialize, read about history, culture, politics and international affairs, movies and music, and is currently working on several home improvement projects. While he loves Pembroke Welsh corgis, he doesn’t have one yet due to his extensive travel. Always daydreaming about his next new destination, he has hopes of making it to Antarctica one day.

He joined Rotary in 2017 because he wished to participate in a community service organization. Having been a Rotary exchange student in Belgium when he was 16, Rotary was the first group he thought of. At first, he was a member of the North Fulton club but transferred to Roswell in 2021 to be more active in his local community. He enjoys participating in our events, getting to know club members, and is naturally interested in our international programs.

Posted by Jackie Jordan
October 13, 2026

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