Former “professional sorority girl” and current Major Gift Officer Shanna Dunne (M.A. ’20) spent a dozen years dedicating full days to raising her two sons before deciding to bring her talents to Gonzaga University — her husband Dan’s Alma Mater (M.B.A '13). Her innate talents for putting people at ease and connecting with them along with her strong belief in the value of Catholic, Jesuit education has yielded nearly a decade of fundraising success and countless meaningful relationships for the benefit of Gonzaga and its students.
Born in Eugene, Oregon, Shanna’s family moved to Spokane when she was just a toddler. Growing up in the Mead School District, young Shanna dreamt of becoming a physical therapist.
“My mother was a very compassionate nurse,” Shanna explained, “but she discouraged me from following her into the profession. I’d seen a physical therapist after getting hurt in sports and was amazed at the way they helped people to heal. That dream led her to start the undergraduate program at Eastern Washington University, but it didn’t take long for her to discover that it wasn’t a fit for her. She transferred to Washington State University, where she found her place.
“I joined the Sigma Tau chapter of Kappa Delta and decided to major in business,” recalled Shanna. For a brief time, she thought about studying engineering, but when a new integrated English and business program was introduced, Shanna jumped at the chance. She was also encouraged to become a peer mentor, helping new students navigate the registration process and stay on track with their studies.
“I had a portfolio of students to work with,” she said, “including a freshman named Drew Bledsoe.” Shanna remembered the future NFL quarterback’s extremely large hands. “This was back when he was just a newbie from Walla Walla, before he became the star of WSU football.”
Her senior year, she got her first taste of advancement, working with the College of Business to connect with alumni, some event planning, and on a video with the dean. All the while, Shanna thrived in Kappa Delta, taking on several leadership roles in the chapter, including as vice president for new member education. Her first job after graduation extended her experience, as she took on a role as a chapter development consultant, traveling around the country—primarily in the South—to Kappa Delta chapters to help with recruitment and officer training. She then took on a role with the organization’s national headquarters as a fundraiser for the foundation. That experience living in Memphis gave Shanna a broader perspective relating to diversity and her fellow humans.
“I learned to have a greater sensitivity to the diversity and needs of others in our world,” she said. “We’re all human beings and we need to work together and check our biases.”
When her contract in Memphis expired, Shanna returned to the Northwest, ready for something new. She took a job with Boise Cascade Office Products in outside sales, where she honed her relationship-building skills and learned the value of putting the customer first. A colleague of hers persuaded Shanna to meet a young man named Dan, who was an engineer and “sang in a band.” The truth was that the “band” was the Saint James Cathedral Choir.
“I was hoodwinked,” laughed Shanna, “but he was so cute, and I could totally be myself with him.”
July 13, 1995, the couple had their first official date at Catholic night at the Mariners, where the Saint James Cathedral Choir sang the National Anthem, and the Archbishop threw out the first pitch. Shanna and Dan have been together ever since.
Today, Shanna and Dan live in Liberty Lake, where they raised their two Zag sons, John Patrick ('23) and Thomas ('25) (pictured above). Shanna joined the team in Advancement in 2014 and completed her master’s degree in the School of Leadership Studies’ Organizational Leadership program in 2020. One of her proudest moments at Gonzaga is the work she did toward helping to raise funds for and welcome a Torah and Ark for the University’s Jewish community.
“There’s such great energy on campus,” Shanna said of her Gonzaga experience as an employee, a graduate student, and a Zag mom. In her spare time, she enjoys bicycling (she completed a half-Ironman in 2017), traveling with friends, her side-hustle as a cabi fashion stylist, and spending time with Dan and their boys.
Gonzaga is so lucky and grateful that Shanna rode into our lives with her signature smile and loving disposition.