Shaunda Ragland

My career has been centered around public service, which has been really important to me throughout my life. I've served the government at the federal, state, and local level for at least 30 years, and my goal is just trying to make the world better. My journey started early - in high school I was a Senate page, then in college I was a congressional intern and a Ron Brown Fellow. After that, I taught 12th grade government before transitioning into the nonprofit association field. I've worked in education departments at the National Association of Counties and the American Political Science Association. For the past 10 years, I've been the Senior Director of Education and Training at the Public Risk Management Association, where I create programs and resources for public risk managers. My day-to-day involves podcasts, blogs, webinars, and leading different trainings on topics like cyber security, AI, transportation and infrastructure, public health, and public education - anything that could be a potential risk to the public. What I love most about nonprofit work is the autonomy and freedom to really be innovative and impactful without a lot of bureaucracy. I'm never bored, and I really enjoy creating programs and watching people have those aha moments. One of my proudest achievements is the leadership academy I created, where I get to watch leaders learn how to lead from their position, even without formal authority. Currently, I'm in my second year of a PhD program in Educational Leadership at George Mason University, researching how to use AI to increase college readiness outcomes.