Shannon Greenleaf, CPP
Shannon Greenleaf, CPP, is an accomplished U.S. Payroll Manager at Alstom, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with over 26 years of experience leading payroll and benefits operations across North America. She oversees a U.S. payroll team of six, managing everything from approving payroll runs to addressing complex issues such as W-2 corrections, multi-state compliance, and payroll harmonization. Shannon was brought into her current role for her expertise in large-scale payroll projects, including a recent payroll harmonization initiative where she successfully consolidated multiple payrolls into a single streamlined system. She also played a key role in implementing a time and attendance system, ensuring the organization’s payroll processes are efficient, accurate, and compliant.
In her daily work, Shannon balances hands-on leadership with strategic oversight. A typical day involves fielding questions from employees and HR, reviewing payroll outputs to ensure accuracy, making key decisions, and collaborating closely with finance, HR, and benefits teams. No two days are alike; some days focus on routine approvals, while others involve complex project work, new-state setups, or process improvements. Shannon emphasizes cross-functional partnerships and accountability, ensuring her team operates effectively while maintaining compliance and delivering high-quality payroll services. Her approach combines technical expertise, mentorship, and a proactive problem-solving mindset, making her a trusted leader within the organization.
Shannon holds an Associate of Science in Accounting from the Community College of Allegheny County, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Carlow University, and is pursuing her MBA in Business Administration at Robert Morris University. She is a Certified Payroll Professional and continually invests in her professional development to stay at the forefront of payroll and HR practices. Beyond her professional achievements, she has volunteered as Treasurer for the North Fayette Township Fire Department and is committed to mentoring her team and fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and excellence.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)
• Robert Morris University - MBA
• Community College of Allegheny County - AS, Accounting
• Carlow University - BSN
• Payroll Org
• National Payroll Institute
• Cancer Awareness Advocacy
• Breast Cancer Awareness
• North Fayette Township Fire Dept
What do you attribute your success to?
He discussion focused on a professional's role in payroll management, where they described their responsibilities including payroll harmonization, time and attendance system implementation, and handling complex issues like W2 matters and new state setups. They highlighted their certification as a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) as their most notable achievement, and mentioned membership in payroll organizations including the National Payroll Institute. The conversation also touched on personal interests including target shooting, classic cars, sailing, and home renovations done with their husband.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Never quit. Don't give up on what it is you're doing, because you're gonna have tough days, and some days you're gonna feel like quitting and walking away. But if you keep your eye on the prize and what it is that you're doing, you can accomplish anything. That has stuck with me. That was from my first boss in my payroll profession, and that has stuck with me since then. I pass that on, too, to my team members and other people that I see that may need that little extra motivation to get over a hump that maybe they're stuck, and they're not sure, because things may not look great in the moment, and you might be dealing with an issue or a problem and not sure how to solve it, but if you stick with it, you'll be able to figure it out. You'll be able to get through it.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Start out in an entry-level position in payroll, start to get your feet wet, and then truly concentrate on it and study. Go for the certifications, because they truly do help you get further in your career, if payroll is going to be the career path that they're looking for. I believe, you know, right now, payroll either falls under HR or finance in organizations, and I really believe that payroll should be its own department, and not fall under either one of those, because although we work together with them and in conjunction with them, it is not truly a function that should be under either one. I would tell a young woman it's a never-ending field, it's never going to go away, because people are always going to need to be paid for their work. The way we pay them may change a little bit, but we really need more payroll professionals, and the only way to get that is for them to be interested in it. Just give it a chance and take in what your mentors have to teach you, because you could go on and on and on, and be in it for 26 years like I have, and still be able to learn more. As it changes, it's gonna be more technical, and we need more young women who have that background in technology and want to use that to truly help employees and understand and receive their pay correctly and timely.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, transparency, and being empathetic are most important to me. You never know how, you don't know what someone else is going through, and for me, I always try to put myself in their shoes, because they may be dealing with something that we don't know about. That is something that I've actually been commended for. My team has said to me that they appreciate it, and outside of my team, I actually just went through a 360 feedback from peers and my team and my boss, and I was very humbled by the things that were said about me. That was one of the items, was that I really try to understand where other people are coming from and try to be very inclusive. So, yes, I think those are probably the top 3.