A Midwest native, Shelbi Schadendorf has spent her career dedicated to mission-driven organizations across the globe. Prior to joining Generation Citizen as Director of Marketing and Communications, she built out a highly successful communications program for one of Minnesota’s largest food pantries. In that role, she guided messaging through a period of local food-access crises driven by a government shutdown and the immigration enforcement campaign, Operation Metro Surge.
Shelbi also spent several years in Washington, D.C., directing communications for a political ad technology firm and cutting her teeth at a national economic justice nonprofit. Her professional journey began far from the marketing world, however, serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching English and Intercultural Competency at a technical college in Sichuan, China. Across all these roles, her north star has been advocating for low-income and working-class communities.
When she isn’t working, you might find Shelbi catching a show at Minneapolis’ First Ave, hunting for unique vintage finds at local thrift stores, or trying to recreate her favorite Sichuan dishes (if you have tips for hand-pulling noodles, please reach out). If you ever need a foolproof conversation starter, just ask about her dachshund, Coconut.