Shannon has over 25 years of experience as a social entrepreneur and advocate for children, families and communities. As the Co-Founder or Visible Men Academy, Shannon designed and implemented the Whole Child and Family Programs, Community Engagement efforts and most recently lead School Advancement Initiatives. She currently serves as a Senior Advisor to VMA. Shannon is also the co-founder of Visible Men along with her husband, Neil Phillips. Visible Men is a national movement that celebrates the untold story of black male success, and is now the focus of a feature length film and campaign created by the Nantucket Project. Shannon co-authored the book Visible Narratives with artist Karen Arango. Visible Narratives shines the light on the intrinsic strength, courage and beauty of low income families through a photographic journey.
Shannon received her Bachelors of Arts degree from Colgate University and went on to earn a Masters in Social work MSW from Smith College School for Social Work. Her masters thesis was entitled, “Family Ties, The Influence of Extended Families in Biracial Identity Development.” Shannon’s early clinical social work was in pediatrics, trauma and psychiatry at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford Hospital and Georgetown University hospital. Prior to that she was the Case Management Coordinator of the Greentree Shelter, the largest homeless shelter for families in Montgomery County, Maryland.
In Washington DC, Shannon served on the Cedar Lane Nursery School Parent Education Board, and the Georgetown Hospital Parent Advisory Board. Currently, she is a member of the Community Outreach Committee of the Asolo Repertory Theater in Sarasota, Florida. Shannon is on the board of the Smith Alumni Club of Sarasota, overseeing diversity and student recruitment Initiatives. Shannon was a proud recipient of the 2016 Wonder Woman Award by the Women’s Resource Center of Manatee/Sarasota recently joined the SRQ Women in Business Leadership Circle Class of 2017. She is fluent in French and emerging in conversational Spanish. Shannon lives in Sarasota, Florida with her husband Neil, and their two sons.
