Shannon is the program & training director at the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing. Shannon’s role includes program management & development, outreach and collaboration efforts on campus and in the community, and volunteer and student coordination. On campus, Shannon is a Foster Care Liaison and spearheads the Spark organization for former foster youth attending UT. She served as the Staff Council Representative for two years for SSW and is involved in the Association of Professionals in Student Affairs and Working Moms at UT. In the community Shannon chairs the Transition Age Youth Collaborative for Central Texas and is regularly involved with the Austin College Access Network, Austin Community College Student Success Advisory Committee, and the Child Protection Roundtable. She is also a member of the Trauma Informed Care Consortium (TICC), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Mission Capital and the Texas Network or Youth Services (TNOYS).
Shannon has a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW, 2010) and Master of Art in Counseling (MAC, 2006). She is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, a Credentialed Mediator with Advanced Family & Divorce Mediation certification. She has extensive experience working with adult and youth populations in a variety of settings. Shannon has a passion for helping youth serving nonprofit organizations to thrive and survive inevitable change. Her professional interests are in human capital, strategic planning, and community building in the areas of youth, education, substance abuse, mental health, and literacy.