Like many of the 600-plus division employees, Shannon Wiley didn’t know much about student affairs when she joined the Business Office in 2015, but since then she has embraced her job and higher mission to support students as they navigate their Texas A&M college experience. 

“I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I take care of business for the division and the departments we serve with this team,” she said. “Our staff consistently pulls together and makes amazing things happen for Texas A&M students.”

Shannon was born and raised in Hearne, Texas, where she attended Hearne High School. After graduation, she began her Texas A&M career at the A.P. Beutel Health Center. Since then, she has worked for the Department of Chemistry, the Colleges of Architecture and Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and Interdisciplinary Studies. Along the way, she also gained experience in the medical field and accounts payable. 

A business coordinator III, she has worked for the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (OVPSA) since September 2015 and has served Texas A&M for 15 years. 

During the past year, with the transition spurred by the MGT recommendations, her job has changed from a combination of human resources and payroll to strictly business operations. “I take care of all the business transactions such as invoices, credit cards, transfers, and reconciliations,” she said. “Most people rarely see or understand the long list of detailed human resources- and business-related tasks that our team handles for the OVPSA and our departments. There is so much knowledge that resides here in our office, and it takes each and every one of us to keep the division running smoothly.”  

At the end of each work day, Shannon gives her full attention to “the people who keep me moving forward each day,” her four daughters and grandson: Veronica, 22; Savannah, 17; Scarlette, 15; and Cheyenne, 13; and Brice, 1. 

“My amazing grandson Brice, who just turned 1 in July, is my hero. He was born at 23 weeks and four days gestation and was given only a 30 percent chance to live. Since then, Brice has been moving mountains, doing all the things no one thought he would ever do. He has started rolling over and doing his best to sit up unassisted. He is the happiest little boy and loves to smile!”  

When she’s not working in the Koldus Building on campus or being Mom and or “GiGi,” Shannon enjoys relaxing in a quiet space to watch a movie or show “that I have seen probably a million times.” She’s slowly catching up on Game of Thrones and is especially fond of the transformation of Arya Stark from little girl to deadly assassin.