"I look forward to putting my experience and skills to work to advance the Foundation’s mission of strengthening our communities in the East Metro and statewide. It is an honor to be a part of such a deeply-rooted tradition of giving."

As Chief Investment Officer at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Shannon O’Leary oversees the Foundation’s Investments team as well as all aspects of the Foundation’s investment portfolios, which serve individual donors, nonprofit endowment partners as well as two partner foundations, the F.R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation. In her role, Shannon staffs and manages three investment committees and reports to three boards of directors. She works closely with the investment committees, Foundation staff and others on portfolio decision-making to maintain and grow assets that sustain the Foundations’ grant-making.

An experienced leader with depth and breadth in building and managing investment teams, processes and procedures, Shannon joined the Foundation after serving as CIO at The Advocate Group, a Minnesota-based wealth management firm. Previously, Shannon spent seven years as the manager of wealth planning and investments for a large family office and served as a member of its Investment Committee. She played an integral role in portfolio construction and monitoring, the management of due diligence, client reporting and risk management for the family’s complex multi-generational investment structure and associated entities.

Shannon began her career as an analyst at Dearborn Partners in Chicago after earning a bachelor’s degree in economics with a concentration in high-energy physics from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. As a mom of four, Shannon enjoys bringing her family to community events where they can see the work of the Foundation.