Dr. Simon Shannon is currently Director of Business Development in 3M’s Transportation and Electronics Business Group. He graduated from UMN Morris in 1997 with a chemistry degree, followed that up with a PhD in organic chemistry from the UMN Twin Cities, and earned an MBA from the Carlson School of Management.
Professor Emeritus Nancy Carpenter describes Shannon as an unusually dedicated and productive student at UMN Morris. The chemistry discipline relied completely on his maturity, dedication, intelligence, and organizational skills to keep labs running smoothly and to keep chaos at bay–valuable attributes that he continued to leverage in his graduate work. Shannon was one of the first UMM chemistry majors to be selected to participate in the U of MN Twin Cities McNair Scholars program, an honor he “paid back” by recruiting subsequent students for their program while still an undergrad.
A standout wrestler while at Morris, Shannon placed eighth at the NAIA national tournament and became the first African American to achieve athletic and academic All-American status, commemorated on the wall of fame in the UMM gymnasium. He also managed the athletic facilities on weekends and served as an assistant coach for UMM’s first women’s wrestling team.
Beginning with his early involvement in the Black Student Union at UMM and the McNair Scholars Program, Shannon has become a national leader in encouraging African American success. He started a student chapter of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) at the University of Minnesota, and now serves as the national Board chair of the same organization.
He joined 3M in 2004, and has several unique experiences having supported Corporate research, 3M Oral Care, Industrial Mineral Products Division, Lean Six Sigma (Certified Black Belt) and Advanced Materials Division, now residing in 3M’s Transportation and Electronics business group as a Director of Business Development for Datacenters and 5G.
He holds 18 US patents and received several professional awards from his service and professional work. Notable awards received from Shannon’s service and professional work include the 2019 Man of the Year by Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, 2019 Global Lean Six Sigma Transformational Leadership Award, TIME Magazine’s 50 best inventions of 2018–3MTM Smog-reducing Granules, 2017 National TRIO Achiever Award Recipient. As recently as January 2023, Shannon was selected by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in the first cohort of “Black Leaders You Need to Know” in a Black History Month Feature. His service has included Chair of 3M's African American network, leadership in Omega Psi Phi and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternities, and Board membership of NOBCChE, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, and Better Futures Minnesota.
