Featured WIB Member
Shannon Watson, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce
Shannon moved to Saint Paul in December of 2010 for a job at the Minnesota Senate, after growing up in Kansas and living and working in Denver at the National Conference of State Legislatures. She stayed after she fell in love with the culture of civic involvement here, from our status as the state with the highest voting turnout to the philanthropy that is engrained into the history of our business community. Shannon currently serves as the Director of Public Affairs, which means the chamber’s political, policy, lobbying, strategic communications and media relations work is all her my portfolio.
When asked about the challenges and opportunities that currently exist around workforce development she cites, “The interconnectivity of workforce to other policy areas – education, housing, transportation, childcare. All of our systems are intertwined and having an issue with just one area can make getting ahead almost impossible.”
Shannon enjoys serving on the WIB because it is a place where the public, private and nonprofit sectors come together to solve challenges. She especially appreciates the employers in the room – while attending the meetings is part of her job, they are taking time away from their businesses and investing that time in the community. She acknowledges their involvement is a sacrifice and an investment that should be celebrated.