Shannon Gillen

Shannon Gillen is the Preserve Steward for the West Virginia Land Trust. She began her position in July of 2022 working under Rick Landenberger to help manage the Land Trust’s preserves. She is new to the state of West Virginia and is looking forward to helping to conserve its beauty.

Shannon is from Vermont originally, having received a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of New England in Biddeford, ME and a M.S. in Biology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. She has travelled across the country, working for an AmeriCorps organization, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and most recently as an introductory biology lab instructor at JMU.

Hiking and camping are some of her most treasured outdoor activities, but she has been dabbling in rock climbing as well. When not outside, she enjoys reading and pursuing new knowledge including language learning.