Shannon works as Communications Director with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives' BC Office, a public policy research institute concerned with social, economic and environmental justice. She oversees CCPA–BC’s extensive communications activities, which range from media strategy and opinion research to online engagement and communication with members. In addition, she works as a coordinator and reviewer of research by academic researchers from a wide range of disciplines and community-based researchers.

Shannon leads the Communication and Social Change research stream of the Climate Justice Project, a collaborative initiative led by the CCPA and the University of British Columbia and funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Her own research interests are in the areas of social movements, public policy development, environmental communication, and knowledge translation and mobilization.

She has served on the boards of organizations such as the Vancouver Public Library, and volunteers as a communications consultant with a number of social change organizations. She is also a trainer with Next Up, a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice.

Shannon is a graduate of the Masters in Professional Communication program at Royal Roads.