Ms. O'Shaughnessy began her career as a child welfare worker and later served as a juvenile probation officer. She managed an adult community release facility in St. Louis from 1973 to 1976, and served as adjunct professor of social work at St. Louis University.
Ms. O’Shaughnessy was a pioneer in the Corrections field in her role as Deputy Executive Director of the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections from1976 until1985. She directed the Commission in the inception and development of the national accreditation process that has transformed the field of adult and juvenile corrections programs.
In 1985, Governor Richard Lamm appointed Ms. O'Shaughnessy to the Colorado State Parole Board. In 1986 she joined Cornerstone Programs Corporation as Chief Executive Officer.
Ms. O'Shaughnessy is a former Board Member of the American Correctional Association and is currently a Board Member of the International Community Corrections Association.
She is a founding member of the Woman's Task Force of the American Correctional Association and the author of articles on program development and standards and accreditation. She also serves on several local and national advisory boards in the corrections and child welfare fields.
Ms. O’Shaughnessy has published articles in Corrections Today and Corrections Magazine. She also authored “Standards for Correctional Systems for Women Offenders” written for the Seminar on Planning and Evaluating Programs for Female Offenders, University of South Carolina.
Ms. O'Shaughnessy holds a Masters of Social Work and Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from St. Louis University.