Among Mary Sue Shannon’s (BS 1981 Preschool-Kindergarten Education) favorite college memories were preschool practicums that proved extremely useful later in life. After marrying, starting a family, and moving to California, Mary Sue was serving on her children’s private K-12 school board when it decided to open its own preschool. She helped with the licensing and launching process and then continued on the board as its representative of the preschool. Again, combining family and community service, Mary Sue chaired several fundraisers and helped lead the area’s National Charity League chapter, which engages women and daughters in grades 7 through 12 in volunteer service and leadership development. Mary Sue and her husband, Mike Shannon (BBA 1980 Finance and Marketing), later moved to Colorado. As strong advocates of early childhood education and the involvement of parents in a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development, Mary Sue and Mike established Human Ecology’s first endowed chair to support translational research in contemplative practices intended to cultivate kindness, empathy and other pro-social characteristics in children and to study the benefits of mindful parenting.