Shelton is Forgotten Voices’ first executive director, succeeding the organization’s founder, Ryan Keith. Growing up in Zimbabwe, Shelton saw firsthand the plight of the poor and the vulnerable in southern Africa, especially children and youth.
As a young man, he began volunteering as a peer educator at Scripture Union. He has worked with vulnerable children and youth ever since—developing life skills and leadership curricula for young adults, training youth workers across sub-Saharan Africa, and helping a small church in Zimbabwe to care for 18,000 vulnerable children with local volunteers.
Shelton is passionate about equipping the local church to care for “the least of these” and was drawn to Forgotten Voices’ remarkable approach to orphan care because it represents the best of what it means to do that.
He holds an MA in international development from Eastern University in Pennsylvania, USA and a diploma in youth development and a BA in community development from the University of South Africa.
Shelton has lived in Africa, Nicaragua and the United States. He currently resides near Philadelphia with his wife, Rebecca, and their two precocious daughters. In their spare time, they can be found holding dance parties and singing competitions in their living room.