Faculty Spotlight: Shannon Brown '92

“Never in a million years did I think I would be working at Mater Dei, but sometimes God directs you to places you would never expect!" she shared.

One of the latest Monarchs to return home to Mater Dei is Mrs. Shannon (Rhodes) Brown ‘92, School Nurse. A graduate of Sts. Simon in Jude, Shannon was a four-year member of the MD swim team and enjoyed Campus Ministry Retreats. Outside of school, she worked as a Huntington Beach City lifeguard, combining her love of the ocean with her call to help people.

A third generation nurse, Shannon always knew she was destined to follow in the footsteps of her mother, an ER nurse, and grandmother, an OR nurse. She attended Arizona State University and completed her Master’s in Nursing at St. Mary’s College in Moraga. Her specialty is in pediatrics. Shannon’s impressive career includes working as a Pediatric Oncology Nurse at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, as the Bone Marrow Transplant Coordinator at CHOC, and at UCLA as a Pediatric Liver/Small bowel Transplant Coordinator. She accepted her first leadership position at Hoag Hospital and later served as the Director of Nursing at Mission Hospital. When asked about transitioning to Mater Dei, she said,

“I loved working in the hospital setting for 20 years, but found that I was becoming frustrated with the business of healthcare and was ready for a change.”

Shannon has implemented new programs and services in the areas of health and wellness for both faculty and staff at Mater Dei. This initiative has brought new visitors on campus including students from Santa Ana College’s Nursing Program and therapy/ companion dogs to help with stress and anxiety for anyone on campus.

Students enjoyed a visit with Wally, a beloved companion dog who

Shannon has also worked on building protocols to bring the Health Service Office up to current practice by adopting the application of Appryse, an electronic health records system. She is always looking to expand this office and dreams of it growing to function like a college campus health center.

“Our students spend 8-12 hours a day at Mater Dei, so finding time to see a provider is challenging at best. I would love to offer a host of health services for our students, such as physicals, vaccines, urgent care visits as well as mental health services. You can’t care for the body without addressing the emotional health of a student,” Shannon shared.

Mater Dei is so lucky that Shannon answered the call to come home. Her passion for our students is evident and she will no doubt inspire more generations of Monarchs to pursue a career in nursing or one that involves helping people.

“My hope for our students is that they follow their passion and remain open to whereever they are being called to go. Mater Dei has prepared you to be anything you want to be!”