Where are they now? – Shannon James, USDA Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist
Departmental alum Shannon James is using her Biology expertise to help protect our forests and crops from invasive and pathogenic pests.
Shannon James Wiygul graduated from MUW with a B.S. in Biology in 1995. She returned in the Spring and Fall of 1997 and completed courses to earn teaching certification for secondary education, although she did not pursue that career path.
Currently Shannon works for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Memphis, TN, in the Plant Protection and Quarantine program as a Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist.
Shannon describes the focus of her work as protecting agriculture and natural resources from the risks associated with the entry, establishment, and spread of plant pests and diseases.
She includes among her regular duties “local and national emergency response to detections of non-native pests and diseases; detection survey; inspection of raw plant products for export; containment permit inspections; operating procedure guidance for researchers in commercial analytical diagnostic labs; outreach to all education & interest levels, such as with live organism displays; collaboration with other state and federal agencies; and review and ranking of competitive funding proposals.”
Most recently, Shannon was in Redlands, CA, on a temporary duty assignment to help eradicate the invasive and destructive Oriental fruit fly. Here is a picture of her on the job in Redlands.
Working her way up to her current duties in the Plant Protection and Quarantine program at the USDA, Shannon had previously served in the same program as a National Operations Manager, as a Pest Survey Specialist for Tennessee and Oregon, and as both a technician, then as a Lead Scientist, in the Fire Ant Lab working on the biocontrol of imported fire ants.
Before joining the USDA, Shannan had worked as an entomologist with Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, and as a lab technician in an analytical chemistry lab. She had also been a veterinary technician in several veterinary practices.
Shannon earned an M.S from the Entomology & Plant Pathology Department at University of Tennessee, Knoxville after leaving MUW. This was actually her second Master’s program. She left the first program after a year because it was not a good fit. But, after taking a couple of years to recover from the bad experience, found the UT, Knoxville Master’s program gave her the skills, connections, and research experiences that she was looking for.
That serves as a useful lesson for other students – you should not be afraid to recalibrate your career path if where you are isn’t working. Doing so can often help you end up in the career that truly suits your interests and passions.
While Shannon’s M.S. in entomology helped her get her job at the USDA, a Master’s degree isn’t absolutely required for everyone interested in similar positions, as the federal employment also often recognizes years of experience in lieu of post graduate degrees.
For graduating students looking to start their own careers, Shannon counsels the benefits of developing professional networks, faculty and friends who both know you and know you are looking for positions. In her case, it was a University of Tennessee alum who connected her with the job that she feels was the real start of her career as a professional biologist, her Entomologist position in Key West, FL. Shannon points out that building a network of professional contacts provides insight on career possibilities, early notice of career opportunities, and can put you on the radar of those hiring for such jobs.
While she was still a student in our department, Shannon says she initially struggled with General Chemistry, but Organic Chemistry became one of her favorite courses, along with Invertebrates (no longer offered, sadly) and Food Microbiology.
Shannon is yet another alum who counts former department member Dr. Lani Lyman-Henley as one of her favorite faculty members. Shannon feels that Dr. Lyman-Henley demonstrated to all her students that being a professional and an adult member of society does not mean leaving behind things you enjoy in your personal time. Dr. Lyman-Henley also revitalized and taught the Invertebrates course that Shannon liked so much when Shannon expressed interest in taking it with her.
As a senior, Shannon conducted research with Dr. Lyman-Henley, on the feeding preferences of neonate garter snakes. The following summer, Shannon gave an oral presentation on her research to the 38th annual meeting for the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles in Boone, NC.
Shannon was also active in student groups and social clubs such as Rogue, Blacklist, Beta Beta Beta, Kappa Delta Epsilon, Hottentots, Torch, Lantern, and Mortarboard. She remembers Beta Beta Beta, the biology honors society, decorating the department for holidays. One year, there was a Christmas tree in the building lobby that she and the tri-Beta members ornamented with taxidermied small mammals and birds from the departmental collection. They peeked out of the branches with white stuffing showing out of their eye holes. A little Nightmare Before Christmas before the movie!
Shannon encourages all current students who are starting to explore post-graduate career options to aim high. She says, do not settle. If a program or job position is not good for you, assess what it lacks, then search for a different position that will supply it. Get out of the routine and explore your untapped aptitudes through taking on different types of assignments. One of the things Shannon most enjoys about her position at the USDA is the opportunity to take on new challenges and to collaborate with other groups towards a common goal. Those, and working with insects!
One of Shannon’s duties as a USDA Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist is outreach. If you want more information about her job or similar careers, she encourages you to contact her at Shannon.S.James@USDA.GOV . If you are shy about making direct contact, then feel free to contact one of the departmental faculty members you already know, such as Dr. Whitwam or Dr. Fortenberry, or any of the others, and they can relay your questions or put you in touch with her.
Last updated 11/7/2024.