Financial expert Shannah Compton is among only 10 honorees

It’s an honor reserved for only a select few, and this year Shannah Compton is taking her place among the privileged elite.

Compton, a partner in a Los Angeles-based insurance and financial services company, is being honored as one of 2008’s “Outstanding Young Californians.” The award, sponsored by the California Jaycees Foundation and the California Junior Chamber, is given to California men and women between the ages of 18 and 40 who have significantly impacted their lives, their community, or the lives of others in a meaningful and purposeful way.

Although she is only 30, Compton, is a true veteran in the business world. At age 19, she founded and ran her own film festival, and at age 28 she earned her MBA. Today, she is a partner in a Los Angeles-based financial services company.

She is nationally recognized for her work aimed at educating her peers — the Gen-Xers — about the importance of having a sound financial future.

“I’m trying to change the way other people look at financial decision making,” Compton said. “I’m trying to get young people to ponder their financial future. They have to start somewhere, and if I can get them at least thinking and talking about it, that is a step in the right direction.”

As one of the newest “Outstanding Young Californians,” Compton joins an elite group of past winners, including “Sugar” Shane Mosley, professional boxer and philanthropist; Jesse James, founder of West Coast Choppers; Blake Ross, co-founder of Mozilla Firefox; and Kelly Perdew, winner of “The Apprentice” Season Two.

“I am deeply honored to be included in such a select group,” Compton said. “Being recognized for the work I’ve been doing over the past 10 years give me the motivation to continue my mission.” In addition to this most recent honor, Compton also was recently a finalist in the fourth annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

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