About Shannon Kimball
A Proven Leader. A Passionate Advocate. A Voice for Public Education.
Shannon Kimball is a dedicated public education advocate and experienced policy leader who has served the Lawrence community for over 14 years on the USD 497 Board of Education. During her tenure, she has held leadership roles as board president and vice president, helping guide the district through critical decisions with a focus on equity, transparency, and student success.
Professionally, Shannon is a Governmental Relations Specialist at the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB), where she works to advance public education policy at both the state and national levels. She is a past president of KASB and has represented Kansas on the National School Boards Association policy committee and the board of the National School Boards Action Center.
In 2019, Shannon was appointed by Governor Laura Kelly to the Governor’s Council on Tax Reform. She also contributed her expertise to the Kansas Attorney General’s Open Government Training Advisory Group, reinforcing her commitment to transparency and good governance. Shannon was honored in 2023 as the Lawrence Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Award for Service and Achievement—Non-Rotarian of the Year.
Raised in a small farming community in western Kansas, Shannon is a proud product of public schools. She earned her B.A. with Highest Distinction in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Kansas and her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School. Her professional background includes clerking for the U.S. Court of Appeals, practicing education law, and working as an education policy specialist.
Shannon and her husband, Jason are raising three children in Lawrence. One is a recent USD 497 graduate, and two are current students in the district.