Speaker Bio: Frank Shankwitz
Forbes 2016 – Speaker of the Year – Make a Wish Foundation – Creator
Frank Shankwitz is best known as the Creator and A Founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an extraordinary charity that grants the wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. From humble beginnings, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is now a global organization that grants a child’s wish somewhere in the world on an average of every 28 minutes.
Frank is a U.S. Air Force veteran and has a long and distinguished career in law enforcement. He began as an Arizona Highway Patrol Motorcycle Officer and retired as a Homicide Detective with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, with 42 years of service. Frank has been featured in numerous publications and television programs, and has received several awards, including the White House Call To Service Award from President George W. Bush, and the “Making A Difference In the World” award from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
In 2015 Frank joined six U.S. Presidents as well as Nobel Prize winners and industry leaders as a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In December 2015, Frank was presented with an Honorary Doctorate Degree, Doctor of Public Service, from The Ohio State University. In December 2015, Frank was identified as one of the “10 Most Amazing Arizonans” in a front-page article in the Arizona Republic newspaper. In January 2016,
Frank was identified in a Forbes Magazine article as a “Forbes Top Ten Keynote Speaker”. In April 2017, Frank was presented the Unite4:Humanity Celebrity ICON Social Impact Award. Frank’s award-winning book the “Wishman” released in 2016 was made into a feature motion picture, receiving numerous International awards 2018.
