Biography
Shannon Curley Tower partners with philanthropy leaders to maximize performance, impacting the missions of their organizations. Shannon holds a certification from the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance program at American University in Washington, DC, and she is a certified coach through the International Coaching Federation. She has spent the past 20 years working in philanthropy as a leader, board member, frontline fundraiser, consultant, coach, and volunteer.
Shannon partners with coaching clients to establish goals and uncover roadblocks, helping them move into action. She is certified by Target Training International in DISC, a behavioral style assessment, and Driving Forces, a motivations assessment, that she brings to her work with individuals and teams. She believes coaching is a key investment that improves client’s productivity, increases confidence, and develops and enhances leadership skills.
Before founding Tower Philanthropy – a coaching and consulting firm – in January 2020, Shannon was a vice president and principal consultant at Gobel Group, a healthcare philanthropy consulting firm where she worked with hospitals across the country to build philanthropy programs, served as campaign council, and provided strategic coaching to leaders and frontline staff. Prior to this role, she directed philanthropy programs at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Cleveland Clinic. Shannon started her career in fundraising roles at the Land Trust Alliance, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Case Western University School of Law.
Shannon has a BA in English from Miami University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. In 2000, she co-founded the Foundation for Community Betterment and served as an active board member until 2015 when she became emeritus; she now serves as a pro bono coach for the organization. She lives in Annapolis, MD with her husband and two children.