shannon Lott
Board Member, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
Acting Director, Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Shannon Lott has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Grand Valley State University (2000) and a M.S. in Forestry from Michigan State University (2002). She studied forest health issues and in particular did research on Beech Bark Disease in the eastern Upper Peninsula. She has worked for the Department of Natural Resources for over 25 years, 20 of which were in the Wildlife Division and a little under 2 years as the Forest Resources Division Assistant Chief. In the spring of 2019, she transitioned to the executive office as the Natural Resources Deputy for the department.
Shannon has worked extensively with complex stakeholders, legislators and the Natural Resource Commission on law, regulations, policy and programs for the Department during her career. She has lead sprint teams for the department to propel new initiatives forward such as renewable energy, climate change mitigation, the use of mass timber in construction, and employee engagement. She co-leads the Michigan forest bioeconomy partnership with the country of Finland to support the MOU Governor Whitmer signed with the country. She enjoys working with teams of people to solve complex natural resource issues. In her spare time, she enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and traveling with her family.