Shannon Estenoz

As Chief Policy Officer, Shannon is responsible for developing and advancing Everglades policy by collaborating with the Foundation’s scientific experts and staff, as well as decision makers, conservation organizations, academics, and other stakeholders. Ms. Estenoz utilizes her vast environmental policy experience to make a lasting impact on Everglades restoration for generations to come.

Shannon served as the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks under President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025. In that role, Shannon led the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives. Shannon chaired the Federal Interagency Panel for World Heritage, and the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. President Biden also appointed Shannon to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and in 2024, nominated her to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Interior.

Shannon's career in landscape-scale conservation, restoration, public policy, and management spans 27 years, including more than seven years as the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Director of Everglades Restoration Initiatives and the Executive Director of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. She also has held leadership roles with The Everglades Foundation, the National Parks Conservation Association, the World Wildlife Fund, the Environmental and Land Use Law Center, and three terms as the National Co-Chair of the Everglades Coalition.

Shannon’s public service includes appointments by four gubernatorial administrations between 1997 and 2010. She represented Broward County on the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and was Vice Chair of the Board. Shannon also chaired the SFWMD Water Resources Advisory Commission and the Broward County Water Resources Task Force, and served on the Broward County Water Advisory Board and the MCORES Task Force. Shannon has received numerous awards for her work in conservation, including from Friends of the Everglades, Audubon of Florida, the Everglades Coalition, the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Environmental Law Institute, and the Ecological Society of America.

Shannon is a fifth generation native of Key West, Florida. She holds degrees in International Affairs and Civil Engineering from Florida State University.