Necessary Endings, Bold Beginnings with Shannon Full

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I sat down with Shannon Full, President & CEO of the FMWF Chamber, to pull the curtain back on the human behind the role. We talked about the cost of leadership—the race, the pace, and learning to pause long enough to let impact land. Fresh off a soul-filling trip to Croatia (yes, the beaches are that good), she shared how faith, grace, and grit keep her grounded while she leads a movement bigger than any single title. We dug into the hard stuff: the addiction to being liked, the health toll of people-pleasing, and the courage it takes to be misunderstood while still welcoming real discourse with dignity and respect. I loved her “tribes” framework—quarter, nickel, dime—and we mapped it to my puzzle metaphor: dimes are the corner pieces that make everything else connect.

What I heard under all of it is a woman refining boundaries, mentoring a 13-year-old to stand tall, and choosing necessary endings so greater beginnings can happen. Shannon’s mission is wider than the Chamber; it’s growing people, business, and community—at church, at home, with friends, and across this region—by choosing cohesion over division and action over critique. Her whisper to every woman leading something big? Have the courage. Take the leap. Don’t look back. And then walk it—faith, grace, grit—so others can see what’s possible

About Shannon: Shannon Full became the president and CEO of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce in December 2020. Full has led chambers and economic development organizations for over 25 years across four states.

Full was previously the president and CEO of the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce in Plymouth, Minnesota, as well as the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Regional Partnership in Appleton, Wisconsin, Cedar Rapids Regional Chamber in Cedar Rapids, IA, and Melbourne Regional Chamber in Melbourne, FL.

Full is an experienced relationship and community leader with a proven track record of developing solution-based strategies, building coalitions and bringing ideas to action through implementation. She has had significant success in launching and sustaining public-private partnerships. Examples of these include the Flood Recovery Coalition for Cedar Rapids following their devastating flood in 2008, and a multi-county, multi-city, multi-business partnership called Elevate in the Minneapolis region to develop a systematic talent pipeline solution. She has specific experience and passion in system development and implementation specifically in talent and workforce development, public policy, small business services, and inclusive strategies.

Full is a dynamic leader that believes chambers should serve as a catalyst and active listener to identify major regional issues, co-create solutions with key leadership, and collaboratively bring those ideas to fruition. She has also been extremely successful sharing best practices with colleagues throughout the country.

She is highly involved in the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, serving over 5,000 chambers throughout the country, as she sits on the board and serves on numerous committees. She also serves on the US Chamber Committee of 100, helping to shape national public policy, as well as serving on numerous statewide and local non-profit and community organizations.

She is originally from northern Wisconsin, and currently lives in West Fargo, North Dakota, with her husband and two children.

Connect with Shannon: www.fmwfchamber.com