Shannon Flanagan-Watson

Deputy County Manager

Shannon Flanagan-Watson was appointed as Deputy County Manager in May 2018, with oversight responsibility for Arlington Economic Development (AED) and the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development (CPHD). 

Shannon served as an Assistant County Manager with Arlington from 2005-2018 leading a variety of highly visible special projects and served as the Business Ombudsman working in partnership with the Arlington business community. During her tenure with the County, she has served in several key leadership roles as interim department director for AED and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

As an appointed representative by the County Board, she serves on the Board of Directors with the Ballston BID (Business Improvement District), National Landing BID and Rosslyn BID. She currently serves as an ex-officio Board member of the Arlington Sister City Association.

Shannon brings over 30 years of combined experience working in and with local governments on a range of professional local government management and policy issues. She is a former member of the adjunct faculty at the Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy, teaching in local government management. 

In January 2012, she earned the designation of an ICMA Credentialed Manager. Shannon holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and a B.A. in Communications from the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. 

Shannon is a graduate and lifetime member of Leadership Arlington and a past member of its Board of Regents. She volunteers her time with several organizations in the community and resides in Arlington with her family. 

Contact
County Manager’s Office
2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 302
Arlington, VA 22201
TEL: 703-228-3120
TTY: 703-228-4611
FAX: 703-228-3218
Send email

Download Hi-Res photo(JPG, 957KB)