Andrew is a program & policy specialist, award winning organizer, strategist, and thought partner from Ste. Genevieve, MO, who currently resides in St. Louis, MO. He holds his B.A. in Philosophy from Missouri State University, his Masters in Human Rights from the School of Public Policy at University College London, and his Masters in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

View Andrew Shaughnessy’s curriculum vitae (CV) here

His graduate work at UCL focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights, international law, foreign policy, and public policy analysis. He had the opportunity to work closely with Stonewall U.K., The British Institute for Human Rights, and was a graduate research assistant for Dr. Basak Cali’s quantitative research, “Nominal Commitment’s to Human Rights: A Global Survey.”

Coming back to the U.S., Andrew worked on multiple campaigns throughout Missouri and St. Louis, including Thomas Peters for the Children, Missourians for Fair & Impartial Courts, and Barbara Fraser for State Senate. Andrew started out at PROMO as St. Louis and Southeast Missouri Regional Field Organizer in 2010 then moved to Senior Field Organizer in 2013. During this time, Andrew:

• Passed nondiscrimination protections in 11 Missouri municipalities, which roughly covered 500,000 Missourians with protections, including St. Louis County.
• Extended housing protections to 50,500 Missourians in 2 municipalities.
• Extended domestic partner registries to 53,000 Missourians in 3 municipalities.

During the beginning of 2013, Andrew took a temporary leave of absence from PROMO to work for Fairness West Virginia as the Director of Organizing and Community Outreach for their ‘Hard Work Doesn’t Discriminate’ statewide nondiscrimination campaign. Though unsuccessful, the campaign was one of the largest to date in West Virginia history to engage the Capitol at this level. In three short months, Andrew

• Built and supported a network of 3 organizers, and over 200 statewide volunteers.
• Found support among 250+ coalition members, who were able to connect over 1,600 West Virginians to their State Delegate and Senator to support statewide protections.

In March 2014, Andrew took the position as Manager of Public Policy for PROMO Fund. Andrew’s most notable work is on bridging the gaps of disparities in health for the LGBT community of Missouri through policy. As Manager, Andrew:

• Developed 125 LGBT welcoming policies in 53 Missouri hospitals.
• Worked alongside Governor Nixon’s Administration and the U.S. Attorney General to recognize same-sex Missouri marriage licenses for spouse benefits with the United States Social Security Administration.
• Established  guidance from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in recognizing same-sex married lesbians on their children’s birth certificates.
• Helped to put an end to transgender exclusions in health insurance for Missourians.

Missouri zoomed from 36th to 6th in the Nation and 2nd in the Midwest for Hospital facilities that are “Leaders in LGBT Health” on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2014 Health Equality Index.

In February 2016, Andrew accepted a position with the Missouri Foundation for Health  as a Program Officer. Beginning his philanthropic work for MFH’s Expanding Coverage mission, Andrew broadened his scope in 2017 to encompass several MFH initiatives, including Preventing Unintended Pregnancy, Oral Health, Access to Care and the Foundation’s Opportunity Fund. During his tenure at MFH, Andrew oversaw and managed a responsive grant-making portfolio of $12 million in grants and contracts.

In February 2020, Andrew resumed his passion for advocating for the health and well-being Missourians by joining the Yes on 2: Healthcare for Missouri campaign as Coalitions Director. Yes on 2: Healthcare for Missouri is an initiative to pass Medicaid expansion in Missouri through ballot initiative.

When Andrew is not working, he enjoys reading, writing, and traveling. He loves anything that involves the outdoors and tries to get himself to the theatre and symphony as often as possible.