Mr John Shannon
Board Chair

John Shannon grew up in Mentone and was educated at St Patrick’s Primary School and St Bede’s College.  He attended Monash University and Monash Teacher’s College where his studies were in Commerce.  In 1977 he was appointed Deputy Principal to Marian College, a Brigidine College in Ararat. After three years he took up the position as Principal, the first lay person to lead the College.

His next position in 1983 was as Principal to Clonard College, Geelong where he spent twelve interesting and rewarding years, again as the first lay Principal.  During that period he represented the PAVCSS and Catholic Education on various committees and boards including the VCSA. In 1994 John left Clonard College to take up the position of Principal at Damascus College in Ballarat, a new co-educational college. He retired from Damascus College in 2004.

John was fortunate during his twenty-six years as a Catholic School Principal to also undertake summer schools in Religious Education at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium and Boston College USA. He was privileged to attend the inaugural Mercy Ethos Program in Dublin in 2001.

John Shannon has been a Board director since 2006.