LINDA ROZELL SHANNON, PhD is being inducted for her academic achievements; her humanitarian work with, and in establishing, the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation; and authorship of legislation relating to serial offenders of DWIs and identification of emerging mental health issues in high school students. Linda graduated from Rensselaer Jr-Sr High School in 1972, went to the College of St Rose for her undergraduate degree in Business Administration, Russell Sage for her MS in Health Education, and attained her doctorate through Walden University, MN in 2008. Linda has had several careers, simultaneously. She retired from the NYS Dept of Motor Vehicles in 2009, after 37 years, having worked in various positions, lastly as a Highway Safety Program Representative in the Division of Vehicle Safety. In her earlier years at DMV, she was a Sr. Administrative/Legislative Analyst. As an off-shoot of her work at DMV, Linda has been working with Assemblyman Tedisco and Senator Farley drafting legislation entitled “Charlotte’s Law”, regarding permanent termination of a driver’s license for serial offenders. Her teaching career began in 1983 and continues. She has taught a wide variety of subjects from biblical studies at her church to college level medical billing, insurance and terminology courses at Mildred Elley, Bryant & Stratton and Excelsior Colleges as an adjunct faculty member. Linda is also President and Founder of the world-wide Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (VBF). Started in 1995, the foundation does research, liaison and linking services and fundraising for those born with vascular birthmarks. She has lectured widely on the subject and is considered an expert on the topic. Dr. Linda is a published author of many articles on birthmarks and hemangiomas. She is a member of the International Society of Surgeons of Vascular Anomalies, the International Women’s Writer’s Guild, the Rotary Club, the NY Vascular Anomalies and Haemangioma Specialists, the American Academy of Pediatric Otolaryngologists’ Task Force on Vascular Anomalies and a past board member of Dance Crazy, Inc, a not-for-profit teaching children ballroom dancing. Dr Linda is the recipient of the 2010 More Magazine Women Making a Difference Award; the 2007 “Voices” Campaign Award, a $20,000 award presented by Montel Williams for women making a difference, and the 2005 local Jefferson Award for outstanding performance in public service. She also introduced legislation which was passed by the Assembly in 2012 for “Jerry’s Law” and Jerryslaw.org, a program that seeks to identify emerging mental health issues in high school students and enables them to have a review by the Committee on Special Education. Linda grew up in Rensselaer and now lives in Niskayuna with her daughter, Christine Shannon.
Post Script:
In February 2014, the Albany Times Union published a wonderful article about Linda's recent overseas trip to India and Russia with her Vascular Birthmarks Foundation. The article is titled
Capital Region charity exports birthmark treatments
Check it out!