Shannon Kobran

Head of Education and Training

SDG Academy

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Shannon has been with the SDG Academy since 2018, when she joined as an Education Manager in SDSN's New York office. In 2021, she moved to Malaysia to establish an SDG Academy team in Kuala Lumpur. Prior to joining SDSN, Shannon worked for a NYC-based nonprofit that promotes global citizenship through cultural exchange between international students and local communities. She has also worked with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), evaluating and revising the pilot of UNDP’s award-winning Leadership Development Pathway, an online training program aimed at improving the performance of UNDP managers worldwide. Before transitioning to the international development space, Shannon spent five years as an editor and project manager for a leading educational publishing house. She holds a Master’s degree in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, where her research focused on the intersection of technology and intercultural education. Shannon traces her interest in international education to the formative year she spent in the U.K. and the international connections she forged while completing her Bachelor's degree in English Literature at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, USA.