Ms. Linda Shannon is excited to begin her fourth year as the Principal of Mantua Elementary School.  She brings 25 years of experience as a special educator, including 17 years serving Fairfax County Public Schools. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and certification in Special Education grades K-12 at James Madison University. She later earned her National Board Teaching Certification and completed her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies through Virginia Tech University.

Ms. Shannon’s work as an educator, began in her hometown of Stafford, Virginia and continued as she taught math and science in the Boston Public School System.  While in Boston, she developed her understanding of Collaborative Learning Teams in one of the earliest school systems to adopt these practices.  She then returned to Virginia and worked several years as a teacher and Special Education Department Chair at Lane, a Public Day School in Fairfax County, before her appointment as an Assistant Principal at Robert Frost Middle School.  While at Frost, she supported specialized programs including the Comprehensive Services Site, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program, Specialized Reading, and all staff supporting students with special needs. Ms. Shannon worked to align whole-school professional development and instructional practices with the division’s Theory of Action: strong Tier 1 instruction, powerful collaborative teams, and welcoming and culturally responsive environments in our schools and classrooms. Her innovative methods for developing and gathering student data to make informed instructional decisions have been replicated throughout the division. 

In 2020, Ms. Shannon was named Outstanding Leader for Region 5 Schools and was a division finalist.  In the same year, she and her team were recognized by the entire FCPS Leadership Team with an Above and Beyond the Call of Duty (ABC) award.  In 2024 she was given the excellence award for New Principal for Region 5.

In her role at Mantua, she is has deeply valued the opportunity to develop strong, positive, and collaborative partnerships with her staff, colleagues, parents, and, most importantly, the students.  When she is away from Mantua, she loves spending time with her friends and family, and especially her sweet daughter Charlotte.

Ms. Vaughan is an experienced educator passionate about building relationships and encouraging others to take risks. She believes that mistakes are central to our learning and that the journey is just as important, maybe even more so, than the destination!

Ms. Vaughan holds a Bachelor of Science from Sacred Heart University, a Master of Education in Elementary Education from the College of St. Rose, and an Administration and Supervision Certificate from University of Virginia. Ms. Vaughan has ten years of experience serving as an assistant principal; three years at Annandale Terrace Elementary School and six years at Little Run Elementary School and one year at Mantua Elementary. She has over 20 years of elementary school experience. Ms. Vaughan began her teaching career in New York in Albany City Public Schools as a third grade teacher and has spent the majority of her career in Fairfax County Public Schools as a fifth grade teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal.

Ms. Vaughan has served the district in various capacities. She currently serves as a member of the Region 5 Assistant Principal Planning Committee helping to develop and deliver professional learning to other assistant principals. She has also served on summer curriculum development work groups for science and as a science pyramid leader where she trained teachers around the County on how to implement the science curriculum in the classroom. Ms. Vaughan has led various professional development sessions for her assigned schools and in the County. Outside of school, she enjoys traveling, baking, and spending time with her family, which includes her husband, Mike, and two daughters, Sidney (15) and Scarlett (10). Her weeknights and weekends are often spent cheering on her daughters as they play soccer and traveling to horse shows where her oldest daughter competes as part of an equestrian team.