Dr. Michael P. Shannon became President of the University of North Georgia on July 1, 2023.
A native of New Jersey, Shannon is a first-generation college graduate and was commissioned through Army ROTC. He holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and a master's in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also holds a master's in health physics and a Ph.D. in nuclear and radiological engineering from Georgia Tech.
Shannon served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for 20 years, retiring in 2015 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. After operational Army service as an Infantry and Signal Corps officer with assignments in the 82d Airborne Division, the 35th Signal Brigade (18th Airborne Corps) and the 2nd Infantry Division, he was selected to serve as a U.S. Army Nuclear and Counterproliferation officer.
For more than 10 years, he provided leadership and technical and operational expertise to the U.S. Department of Defense as an expert in nuclear technology issues and later held leadership assignments with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Shannon also served at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point during two different leadership assignments, as an instructor and later as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering. At West Point, he was actively engaged in teaching and research along with several activities in support of cadet and Army officer development.
Prior to joining the University of North Georgia, Shannon served as a member of Georgia Tech's executive leadership team and was responsible for strategic leadership and operations of human resources, finance and budget, information technology, facilities and infrastructure, capital planning, campus security, and emergency response. In addition, he served in numerous faculty, leadership and advisory roles, including as a research faculty member and principal investigator in the Advanced Concepts Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
Shannon continues to serve veterans’ causes, is an active member of his church and is a coach for multiple local youth sports programs. He and his wife, Jessica, have four children.