Oden Institute Staff Shannon Thorne Receives President’s Outstanding Staff Award

Rarely stationary, Shannon Thorne keeps the Peter O’Donnell, Jr. Building running smoothly — solving maintenance riddles, coordinating renovations, and serving as the institutional memory for all things facilities. Shannon’s official title of Administrative Manager at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences only hints at the breadth of her impact. This year, her behind-the-scenes leadership takes center stage as she receives a well‑deserved and distinguished honor: the 2026 President’s Outstanding Staff Award.

The award honors campus staff and supervisors whose contributions have made a significant impact on the University, including outstanding dedication, competence, conscientious performance, excellent customer service, ingenuity and innovation.

She has been described by colleagues as collaborative, efficient, effortless, exceptional, invaluable, a maverick, tireless, unflappable and eager to learn. The phrase ‘a rising tide lifts all boats' captures Shannon’s inclusive approach as she handles everything from audio-visual blips to faculty recruiting visits —  nothing is too small and, nothing is left to chance. Her dedication elevates every corner of the Oden Institute.

Shannon is the very embodiment all those qualities. She’s always quick to answer questions posed by colleagues in the hallway, or via other communications modes, often while juggling responsibilities, many of which fall under the category “other duties as assigned.” In the past year alone, she has coordinated the renovation of ten kitchens, helped buildout new seminar rooms, overseen technology upgrades in existing meeting spaces, and carefully tracked over 700 items listed on the POB inventory.

She learned about the award informing her she was among the just 30 campus-wide recipients of the staff award. “It was a total surprise. I am honored to receive it, but I know that I am only able to work as effectively as I do because of the team that I am part of,” she said. 

“Shannon is an example of excellence in motion, quite literally. Her innovative problem-solving skills are hard to beat. As the Oden Institute’s administrative and building manager, you will rarely find Shannon sitting down if ever. No matter what emergency the day brings – whether you have discovered a row of overflowing toilets, your visitor has no office chair, or you have just lost AV during a key event – you immediately call (or text, or Teams, or Slack…) Shannon. And of course you do, because it takes only one encounter with Shannon to realize that she is exceptional,” said Cathy Stacy, executive deputy director of the Oden Institute.

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Shannon earned her Bachelor of Education degree, majoring in Mathematics. She taught preschool for ten years before moving to the US with her husband when he started working for UT’s Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC). Of her teaching career, Shannon said, “I love the honesty and openness that preschool children have, the look of wonder as they figure out something new. I am a very hands-on person so working with an age that requires a lot of physical activities appealed to me.” Before moving, she had never visited the US, though her husband traveled here for work and assured her she would like it.

Due to VISA requirements, Shannon couldn’t work immediately after arriving, but true to her energetic spirit, she found ways to immerse herself in the community. “I volunteered with a local literacy non-profit called BookSpring which distributes books into schools and communities. “I loved volunteering with them as I was able to visit schools to distribute books and keep my toe in supporting education.” Once eligible for employment, Shannon became officially employed at BookSpring, first as a Program Assistant and eventually as the Program Director. 

But working at The University of Texas intrigued her. “I knew about the Oden Institute because of their connection with TACC and thought it might be an interesting place to work, giving me a different view of education,” she said.

Her role at the Oden Institute is likely the most varied of the staff. Shannon also manages office assignments, water leaks, pest control, inventory, website maintenance for the directory, and everything in-between.  She has been instrumental in the redesign of the Institute’s annual report – learning new software to streamline the process while making the document more user friendly to end-users. While this sounds simple, the collaborative document takes months to bring to fruition, resulting in a final product that is easily accessible for all stakeholders.

“I like the balance between routine tasks and having to problem solve and deal with situations that need immediate attention. I enjoy working directly with people and I get to interact with all levels of the Oden community,” said Shannon.

Outside of work Shannon spends time with her husband playing board games and hiking. She also enjoys quilting, gardening, and curling up with a book.

She maintains a positive outlook though her life story includes profound challenges. She is a traumatic brain injury survivor, having sustained a diffuse axonal injury in 2002 in a car accident. “That incident has shaped my life and given me an unusual appreciation for the capabilities of the human brain,” Shannon said.

Her capacity to help others runs deep. “My life philosophy is focused on improving things for those around me which guided my decision to move into the education field,” she said. Shannon was active in the Lions Clubs International for many years and enjoys doing things that give back to the community. While she doesn’t return to South Africa often, she misses her family and the beautiful mountain near her hometown.

For now, Shannon’s focus is on continuing to improve and maintain the Peter O’Donnell, Jr. Building for the Oden Institute community. One day hopes to get back into teaching pre-K and perhaps even open her own school. 

Shannon received the award on April 13, presented by UT President Davis. Recipients were selected from a pool of nearly 300 nominations.