Shannon Johnson is a Partner for Blue Garnet and leader of our Corporate Citizenship practice. She is a practical, but optimistic thinker with a drive to cut through complexity to get to the heart of the matter. Shannon has strong consulting chops, with over 16 years strategy and management consulting experience for philanthropies, nonprofits, and corporations. She strives to teach her clients “how to fish” while helping to solve their complex social problems and is inspired by unleashing the great potential she sees in people and organizations. Her recent projects include defining long-term strategic direction and aligning employee engagement programs for multiple corporate citizenship departments; designing an evaluation plan for a funder collaborative initiative; conducting future planning for a large arts organization; and completing business case analysis for multiple future socially minded products for a large corporation.
Prior to joining Blue Garnet, Shannon served Fortune 500 clients as a senior management consultant in PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Advisory practice. She investigated corporate fraud, performed litigation analysis, and improved operational efficiency and effectiveness for her clients. A life-long learner, Shannon has an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management; Masters in Public Accounting and an Honors BS in Business Administration, Accounting from the University of Washington. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and member of the Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy Forum and Disability Inclusion Community of Practice for National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers.
Shannon is a wife and mother of two and enjoys thrill-seeking adventures—everything from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to running a marathon to sky diving and bungee-jumping.
Get to know Shannon
Top five strengths: Learner, Woo, Positivity, Communication, Achiever
What’s your “why”?
I could try to come up with an eloquent answer, but simplicity is often best. I tell my two kids that I go to work for 3 reasons: To use my brain and keep learning; to help people and the environment because that’s what makes my heart feel good; and to earn money so I can buy them clothes, food, and toys. I think they like the third reason the best.
Secret talents:
Thumb-wrestling and air hockey.
Podcast that always gets me thinking:
“Seeing White” (obvi), but I love pretty much anything from “TED Radio Hour” and “Hidden Brain”
A quote that inspires your work:
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss