Shannon graduated from Fenwick High School in 1989, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairfield University in 1993, a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University in 1996, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1999. In 2001, Shannon and his wife Abby co-founded the Metropolitan Washington AMBER Plan, a local extension of the nationwide child recovery program. Shannon's plan for a regional AMBER system successfully coordinated local law enforcement, media, and community groups to create a rapid-response child recovery network. In recognition of this, the Shannons received Fairfax County's highest public service award. Shannon served as Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for Fairfax County where he worked with the state's chief felony prosecutor. Shannon devoted much of his time to consumer protection and child safety issues, frequently prosecuting criminals charged with assault, child molestation, rape and domestic violence. Additionally, Shannon prosecuted one of the state's largest embezzlement cases in an effort to combat institutional corruption. From 2002 to 2003 Shannon served as Vice-Chairman of the Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission, where he was responsible for protecting citizens from illegal, fraudulent or deceptive consumer practices.
Legislative career
In 2003 Shannon was elected to represent the 35th District in Virginia's House of Delegates. He was re-elected in 2005 and 2007. He was succeeded in the house by fellow Democrat Mark L. Keam. Shannon introduced several public safety bills in the Virginia House of Delegates. These included stronger witness protections in cases of violent crime, increased penalties for gang-related violence, Reform of Emergency Response Plans in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, and expansion of Virginia's Rape Shield Statute, and making it a crime to evade sex offender registration Shannon introduced legislation intended to protect Virginians against identity theft – specifically requiring database managers to implement security measures to guard against unauthorized access to customer information. In January 2009, Shannon responded to the economic crisis by introducing a bill with the intention of increasing government accountability, improving budget oversight, and reducing wasteful bureaucratic spending. Shannon's House Resolution was intended to repair the state's budget shortfalls, strongly recommending that the House of Delegates implement cost-saving measures which he deemed necessary.
Shannon ran as a Democrat for Virginia Attorney General in 2009. His platform included increased restrictions on sex offenders use of Social Networking services and several measures to deter drunk driving, and attempting to curb gang recruitment. He defeated attorney John P. Fishwick, Jr. in the Democratic primary. In the general election, his candidacy was endorsed by The Washington Post and The Virginian-Pilot. He was defeated by Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli on November 3, 2009.
