DISTRICT
State Rep. Deb Shaughnessy was first elected to the Michigan House in November 2010. She represents the 71st District, which includes Eaton County.

EDUCATION
Shaughnessy graduated from St. Johns High School in 1979. She earned a general associate degree from Lansing Community College with an emphasis on communications and public relations in the spring of 2007.

PROFESSIONAL
Shaughnessy was employed by the Michigan Department of Treasury in the early 1980s as a clerk. She left outside employment to raise her children for several years. Once her children were in school, Shaughnessy went back to work as a staff writer for Charlotte Community Newspapers and then became the executive director of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.

From January of 1995 until December of 2004, she was as a legislative aide to several elected members of the Michigan House and Senate including Speaker of the House Paul Hillegonds and Senate Majority Leader Dick Posthumus. She left her position in the Legislature when she was elected Mayor of Charlotte from 2005 to 2009. Shaughnessy most recently worked part- time as a customer service representative for Daryl Baker and Steve Whitinger at Charlotte Insurance Agency.

Shaughnessy served on the Charlotte Zoning Board of Appeals and its Cable Access Committee before running unopposed for a four-year term on the Charlotte City Council in November of 2001 and was elected mayor pro-tem in 2004.

PERSONAL
Shaughnessy is married to Steve and they have two children, Matthew and Christa Schueller, who are graduates of Charlotte High School. Matthew graduated from the University of Michigan and Seton Hall Law School and works for a law firm in New Jersey. Christa graduated from the University of Michigan and is a student at Wayne State University Medical School.

Her present and former memberships include:

Michigan Municipal League's Women in Municipal Government
Michigan Association of Mayors
MML Legislative Governance Committee
MML Elected Officials Academy Board
2007 Michigan Political Leadership Program fellow, administered by the MSU Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR)
Republican precinct delegate & Eaton County GOP Exec. Committee
Eaton County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)
Eaton County Prayer Breakfast Committee
Charlotte Rotary Club
Eaton County United Way Board
Eaton County Right to Life volunteer
SIREN-Eaton Shelter volunteer
Courthouse Square Association
Charlotte Junior Orioles baseball volunteer
Secretary to the Charlotte Frontier Days Board.