Daughter. Sister. Friend. Swimmer. Softball. Bay Area. SLO. Chico. Cayucos. Humboldt. Los Osos. Wife. Mom. Leader. Collaborator. Organizer. ADHD. 100% Authentic.
I moved to San Luis Obispo from the Bay Area with my family in 1993, the summer before the eighth grade, when my dad got a job on the Central Coast. After graduating from San Luis Obispo High School, I went on to earn a BA in English from Chico State and then another BA from Humboldt State in Journalism/Public Relations. After returning to the Central Coast in 2005 I married my husband Adam and we settled in Los Osos where we are currently raising our three sons.
In 2007, I had the privilege of being part of the 10-month program, Leadership SLO, as a member of Class 16. Each monthly session covered core subjects impacting the community including media and communication; diversity and inclusion; business and economic development; agriculture and sustainability; government; criminal and civil justice; healthcare and human services; and art and education, requiring a serious commitment of time and energy.
The session on human services and learning about the work that nonprofits do to support our community left a lasting impact on me. Leadership SLO’s value of community deeply resonated with me: “We recognize that the strength of the whole is dependent upon the connections between the individuals, and we strive to foster authentic relationships and engagement among participants and throughout the Central Coast.”
Throughout 2009, while I was pregnant with my first child, my mom was dying of cancer. Her last time leaving the house was to come to the hospital to meet her first grandchild and she took her final breath when he was 5 weeks old. My sister and I planned her funeral while I was on maternity leave. After that experience I knew that I wanted and needed to do something meaningful with my time if I was going to have to leave my baby to work in order to afford to live on the Central Coast.
I started working in the nonprofit sector in early 2010 for Transitions-Mental Health Association as the Community Outreach Manager and then joined Hospice SLO County in 2018 as the Director of Volunteer Services. I was a recipient of the Tribune’s 14th annual Top 20 Under 40 award in 2018 honoring young professionals who have demonstrated excellence in their field and a strong commitment to community service.
When the COVID-19 Pandemic arrived in March 2020 no one knew what to expect and Hospice SLO County had to make some bold decisions. I was named Executive Director in July 2020 and continued as the acting Volunteer Services Director for several more years.
Throughout my career, community and collaboration have always been top of mind. I like connecting people and organizations to one another when it seems like they have a common goal or project or would benefit from collaboration.
I believe that it is important for my sons to witness what it means to support our community’s most vulnerable through volunteerism and philanthropy, most beautifully displayed by the services and support provided by nonprofits.
Shannon McOuat Consulting 