Shannon Hinkhaus has called Carroll County home since she was two years old, when her family moved from Catonsville to a quiet neighborhood in Finksburg called Carroll County Trails. A proud graduate of Westminster High School, Shannon later graduated from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College), where she earned her degree in Business Administration with a minor in Accounting.

As a college student, Shannon interned in the finance department at Mercy Medical Center, where she was ultimately hired as a financial analyst after graduation. In that role, she was responsible for financial and statistical reporting, analysis, and budgeting—experience that built a strong foundation in fiscal responsibility and transparency.

When Shannon and her husband Hayward welcomed their daughter in 2001, she made the decision to pause her career to focus on raising their family. During those intervening years, she continued to consult part-time while volunteering extensively in her children’s schools. Whether helping with classroom projects, making copies, or simply stepping up whenever and wherever teachers needed help, Shannon always valued being an integral part of her children’s education. She also served as a CCPS substitute—working as a cafeteria assistant and as a one-on-one classroom aide at Charles Carroll Elementary—an experience that deepened her appreciation for the hard work and dedication of our teachers and staff.

Family has always been Shannon’s top priority. From coaching first graders on the soccer field to organizing the fifth-grade Moving Up ceremony to cheering from the sidelines at countless games, she has always believed that strong families are the foundation of strong schools and a strong community.

As her children grew older, Shannon returned to the workforce as a bookkeeper for a small private school where she worked closely with the principal and board -- preparing budgets and financial statements and managing daily financial operations. Today, Shannon works at a local law firm as a legal assistant, helping families manage their deceased loved one’s estate. Her attention to detail, organizational skills, and financial expertise serve her well in every aspect of her life and career.

Shannon first engaged with the Board of Education during the challenges of COVID, attending and speaking at her first public meeting. That experience sparked a lasting commitment to advocating for transparency, accountability, and fact-based education. She now serves on the Family Life Advisory Committee, where she chaired the committee for the 2024–2025 school year and helped develop the Carroll County Family Life Framework, which gives the parents of Carroll County the choice to opt their children out of lessons discussing sexual orientation and gender identity. She remains a committed and steadfast advocate for ensuring that our K-12 educational curriculum stays focused on academics, not ideology.

Shannon believes that strong schools and strong families go hand in hand. As a member of the Board of Education, she will work tirelessly to apply her financial expertise, her deep community roots, and her practical, common-sense approach to every decision, always keeping students, parents, and teachers at the heart of her work.