Shannon has a personal and professional passion for cultivating leadership and spirituality among college students. Her research focuses on how leadership activities impact students’ sense of spirituality, positing that public institutions can intentionally cultivate students’ religious identity and spirituality through the context of leadership development programs’ activities.

Shannon coordinates a leadership programs at California State University San Marcos and serves on a research team at San Diego State University investigating the impact of compassion and mindfulness pedagogy. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Management & Marketing from California State University San Marcos and both her Masters of Arts and doctoral degrees in Educational Leadership from San Diego State University.