Shannon Wanless

Dr. Shannon Wanless is the Executive Director of the Office of Child Development, a large community-engaged research and practice center in the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, that is focused on child and family thriving.

Shannon began her career as a YMCA Summer Camp director and a Head Start teacher in urban and rural settings, and with families who were  refugees or were undocumented in the U.S.

Shannon focuses on building community and social change among adults that are helping young children thrive. She explores ways that children, preservice teachers, and professionals develop future-building skills and how to create classroom, school, and organizational climates that reflect these practices.

Shannon earned a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of Michigan, a doctorate in Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University and was a post-doctoral researcher at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching & Learning at the University of Virginia. She was a Fulbright scholar in Taiwan researching social-emotional development in a collectivist culture.