Shannon Edam is the Research Associate at National Disability Institute. She is on the research team, analyzing and presenting data for financial empowerment and employment projects across NDI.

Shannon has worked on employment initiatives related to WIOA including the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC), the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Management (VRTAC-QM), and National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD).
She served as Project Coordinator at NDI for several years, supporting efforts to advance initiatives in Career Pathways, Apprenticeships and programmatic access.

Prior to NDI, Shannon worked in direct services, helping people experiencing homelessness access medical and psychiatric care, apply for benefits such as SSI, SSDI, SNAP and to transition from living on the streets to living in their own apartment. She has extensive experience in housing and related services.

Shannon earned a master’s degree in human rights from American University in 2014 and a master’s degree in education from Lesley University in 2016. She studied abroad in Ghana, Cuba and Belgium, speaks several languages and is committed to disability inclusion. Shannon is a person with a disability and brings her lived experience to her advocacy.