Bio

Robert Shannon is a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) consultant specializing in qualitative and mixed-methods evaluation for federal and nonprofit clients. Throughout his career, he has focused on helping organizations use evidence to strengthen decision-making and improve program implementation. He has extensive experience supporting complex, multi-year projects for government agencies including the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, SAMHSA, HRSA, and the National Tribal Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement within HHS’s Administration for Children and Families. His nonprofit work includes engagements with The Carter Center, Catholic Relief Services, and CARE International. He has contributed across the full evaluation lifecycle—from developing evaluation frameworks and qualitative data collection protocols to managing data collection, analysis, and reporting—ensuring findings are both methodologically rigorous and accessible to diverse stakeholders.

Robert has worked across West Africa and South Asia on gender-related issues, including men and masculinities, engaging men and boys in gender equality, and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence. His experience also spans mental health, child and forced labor, education, and youth and workforce development with a particular focus on how social norms, identity, and power shape program outcomes.

Robert’s interest in the intersection of social transformation, identity, mental well-being, and livelihoods is deeply rooted in his academic and professional background. Shaped by Pan-African and African diasporic perspectives, he has taught and developed curriculum on race and masculinities at Morehouse College, coordinated international service-learning programs, and conducted research on identity and narrative across cultural contexts. These formative experiences inform his approach to evaluation and learning—centering community voice, cultural context, and equity in both research design and practice.

Robert holds a Master’s in Development Practice from Emory University, with a concentration in Gender and Conflict Transformation, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.