Shannon Francis (she, her, hers) is Hopi and Dineh from the Southwest homelands of Arizona and New Mexico. She is Towering House clan born for Red Running into the Water clan. Her Hopi clans are Massau’, Bear Sand, and Snake Clan. Shannon comes from twelve generations of earth caretakers, ethnobotanists, and seed keepers. A certified Permaculture Design Instructor, Shannon weaves TEK Traditional Ecological Knowledge with innovative science. She loves to educate on caretaking of land, water, and soil resources; preserving Native heirloom GMO-free seeds, zero-waste philosophy, and how to live more harmoniously with nature.
Shannon is the Executive Director for Spirit of the Sun, Inc. in Denver. She co-created and led an Indigenous Permaculture Community Garden Project with the Four Winds American Indian Council. Shannon also co-created the Indigenous agricultural project at Woodbine Ecology Center in Sedalia, CO, and taught Indigenous gardening workshops for Native communities at the Denver Indian Center.
Shannon has received the Justin B. Willie humanitarian award on the Navajo Nation (2014) as well as the Cesar E. Chavez female leadership award (2015) for her work with Indigenous gardening, food justice, and community building projects. She has also presented at the Front Range Bioneers, the Star School, Indigenous Farming Conference White Earth, MN, The Denver Green Festivals, Dartmouth College, Haskell Indian Nations College, Fort Lewis College AISES Conference, and the Teaching Outside the Box Environmental Education Conference.
Shannon has six wonderful children and three amazing grandchildren that are her inspiration to make this a better world for all future generations to come.
“I am looking forward to learning, listening, and sharing stories of my downfalls and successes in my working and family life in the Denver native community. I am looking to grow with the cohort for the betterment of our community and future generations to come.“