From The Blog

Meet KICA’s Interim COO, Shannon White

Contributed by Sue Schaffer

Note: Since this article was published, Shannon has been appointed to the COO role by the board of directors.

The Kiawah Island Community is fortunate to have Shannon White as our new Interim COO. For many members, Shannon is already a familiar face. She has been with KICA for 24 years this July, spending the last 11 years as director of Operations, and before that, serving seven years as director of Member Services.

Shannon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position. The scope of her responsibilities in Operations includes oversight of the Land and Lakes Management, Major Repairs & General Maintenance, Security, Recreation and Livability departments. She has regularly participated in board and finance committee meetings, and was more recently involved in KICA’s water management initiatives. Throughout her time with KICA, she has developed strong relationships with leaders in the other Kiawah Island entities: the resort, developer and town. Shannon holds three national designations in community management, including the prestigious Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM).  

“I’m very familiar with all aspects of the association’s operations, but more importantly I have a deep appreciation for the community,” she said. “Over the last six years, I’ve dealt with the challenges of major storms and a pandemic. In my new role, I work more directly with the board to understand their priorities and translate these into actions for our departments.” Currently, Shannon is focused on helping staff through the leadership transition and working with the board to improve communications with the community.

Describing herself, Shannon remarks, “I am an extrovert. I like to talk to and get to know people. I can talk to anyone.” She values compassion, empathy and kindness and recognizes the necessity of understanding both members’ and employees’ needs. This has been especially important as KICA has navigated the pandemic year. She describes herself as detail-oriented, a key strength for the leader of this organization, but she’s also known to focus on the bigger picture, helping guide department heads to meet the organization’s overall goals.

Shannon credits the KICA staff with assisting in her transition to the interim COO role. “We have an amazing staff, with incredible dedication and longevity. Our employees are proud of the work they do on Kiawah Island. They continue to work to achieve the Kiawah standard and they enjoy serving our KICA members.” Shannon is confident that she and the staff can proactively meet future challenges, something they’re used to doing.

When she is not working, Shannon most values her family time. Her son, Joshua, is a rising senior at Clemson University. Jerry, her husband of 28 years, is the director of the Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry for the Catholic Church in South Carolina. He is also an ordained deacon for their parish. Shannon is actively engaged with her parish, though she remains behind-the-scenes in support of her husband. Two rescued golden retrievers, Callie and Reagan, round out their family.