Shirley has been an HR professional for the past two decades. Her employment background includes HRD, HRM, and HR generalist duties in nuclear power and manufacturing in Michigan. She has also resided and contracted as an HRM for the Canadian Government in the province of Nova Scotia.

She is currently the Training Officer at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection in Madison, Wisconsin. In this role, she is responsible for the development, delivery, administration, and execution of the department's agency-wide training program. In addition to her training responsibilities, she remains a primary contact for employee relations issues.

Shirley frequently mediates conflicts between co-workers and between employees and management. She was a team member for three labor contract negotiations (chief negotiator of one), and has investigated and settled numerous grievances and employee complaints. She has acted as the company representative for arbitrations, appealed unemployment compensation cases, worker compensation cases, and employee complaints filed to the Civil Rights Commission in Michigan.

Shirley was among sixteen employees chosen from fifteen hundred applicants to participate in the Transformational Coaching pilot program at the Cook Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan. While on staff, she developed coaching relationships with numerous employees, including senior VP staff.

Shirley received her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Certification in 2004, and continues to pursue professional development and community service opportunities. She is Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State Training Council, a member of the Society of Human Resources (SHRM), the Wisconsin Jefferson County Chapter of SHRM and a member of the International Public Management Association (IPMA).