Shannon Thielman worked for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the 1990s on mining issues and served as the statewide Land Use Team leader.  Since then, she spent time in the Peace Corps working in Panama on environmental education and reforestation issues, later becoming a Registered Nurse, and lived in the Wausau area for 5 years.  She has since moved her elderly parents and son to North Carolina and now divides her time between northern Wisconsin and North Carolina.  She served on Wisconsin’s Green Fire’s Board for three years.  Her interests and focus include mining, wildlife, and outreach.