Both professionally and personally, Shirley has taken an active role in the Northern Nevada community. From her role with Panattoni Development which has led to the attraction of major employers to the region which in turn impacted the economic well being of the state to her role with various causes impacting many of the community’s children, youth and families, Shirley has made a real difference in the landscape of Northern Nevada and the many people who the call the area home. Shirley has been a dedicated advocate for children with cancer since 2003. After knowing a family personally impacted by childhood cancer, she became one of the co-founders of the Northern Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation (NNCCF) and served on the Board of Directors for 15 years. During the early years of the organization Shirley provided oversight of daily operations, establishment and management of operating budgets, and the development and implementation of fundraising events As an advocate for the organization, she led the creation of a bill in 2007 to submit to the Nevada State Legislature which sought money for childhood cancer.

In 2018 she accepted the Executive Director position for NNCCF and served for three years; leading the organization through the pandemic and significant financial and program growth. In 2021 she was appointed by the St. Baldrick’s national Board of Directors to their national Advocacy Advisory Committee. This group of public policy experts, physician-scientists and parents of children with cancer work together to advance federal legislation on behalf of children with cancer. Shirley has resumed her position as a Development Manager at Panattoni Development Company, for which she previously worked from 2014 until 2018.