Shannon joined AFSCME Council 65 in 2004 as a member of Local 3628 working as a Family Service Worker in a Head Start organization. As a member, she served her local as steward and later local president before transitioning to a role as labor representative. For over a decade, she represented AFSCME members in the St. Cloud area and across Central Minnesota.
In 2016 Shannon became associate director, helping lead Council 65 through the uncertain period following the Supreme Court’s anti-union Janus decision. She has been instrumental in modernizing the way the Council communicates with members, building genuine relationships and strengthening our union in the face of anti-union forces. Shannon has trained members across Minnesota and South Dakota to be stewards, negotiators and the next generation of union leaders.
In July of 2020, Shannon was appointed as Executive Director of AFSCME Council 65 covering Minnesota and the Dakotas. From her experience as a member she has always put members’ needs at the forefront of our union.
Shannon received a Master of Science from St. Cloud State University in 2006 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of St. Benedict in 2001. She lives in central Minnesota with her husband Jerry (also an AFSCME member). They have two sons, Grady and Tom.