Her Story
About Shannon
Shannon Hough serves as Founder and Executive Director of a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women veterans and service members who have experienced military sexual trauma. She launched the organization after recognizing her own experience as a Navy veteran survivor and the lack of available programs, particularly for non-post-9/11 veterans. Over five years, Hough has built the initiative from her prior roles as a mayor, lobbyist, congressional staffer, and worker with a nonprofit aiding catastrophically wounded veterans. A typical day involves speaking with survivors, collaborating with other nonprofit and corporate leaders on sponsorships and grants from the VA, and refining the program with staff. Her most notable professional achievement is founding this organization, which has demonstrated a 38 percent reduction in suicide risk that remains sustainable over 30, 60, and 90 days. Hough attributes her success to the resilience instilled by a line of strong Irish women in her family and emphasizes integrity and faith as core values in her leadership.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shannon
01What do you attribute your success to?
Probably a strong line of very stubborn Irish women. They have taught me how to be strong and not let life get you down. You know, you fall down 99 times and you get up 100. There's no staying down. And that's what my mom and my grandma and all my aunts have always taught me. Instilled in us is just, you don't quit. Especially as a woman, you don't quit.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Nothing is personal, and you have to just keep working and pushing through and grow the thickest skin possible when you're a leader because people are gonna be rough, and you just have to take it if you're gonna be a leader and not let it stop you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Know what you're doing, meaning know who you can trust, know who you know have your ducks in a row. Don't just go into a nonprofit field thinking that, oh, this is gonna be easy, people are gonna love my mission. It's not the way it works. It's every day you're begging for money, every day you're fighting for what you believe. And so have a strong backbone, but also have a very good strategy. And stick to it, because 90 to 95% of nonprofits fail because of funding.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Funding. Always funding right now. Money is tight, you know, with the economy the way it is, so everybody is scrambling for money. So that is a huge problem. And then also, just the attitude in our military right now that is, you know, without getting political, going on, you know, and it makes it hard. But some of the great things there is there's so much awareness right now of what's going on in the military, and the fact that we are constantly seeing this problem with sexual assault has been very beneficial. And then the whole suicide awareness has really, really helped.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My integrity above all, and being a leader with strong morals so, you know, it's just that integrity and my faith.
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