WVU events coordinator brings steady hands, comfortable shoes to campus functions

Shannon McAtee, senior coordinator with University Events, is part of the small team that keeps the biggest moments at WVU running seamlessly - one step, checklist and Diet Coke at a time. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)

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For Fairmont native Shannon McAtee, helping shape some of the most meaningful moments at West Virginia University is all in a day's work.

As senior coordinator in the WVU University Events office, McAtee helps plan and execute many of the University's most visible gatherings - from presidential events and donor dinners to the carefully choreographed celebrations of Commencement. It's work that requires precision, flexibility, a steady hand and comfortable shoes since she logs more than 15,000 steps each day of Commencement Weekend. It also helps to always expect the unexpected, she said.

"Every day is different. Everything is the same but not. What we're doing all depends on the season, whether the semester is ending or starting, and a host of other variables."

For nearly a decade, Shannon McAtee has helped turn complex logistics into seamless moments at WVU. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)

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McAtee joined WVU in April 2016 as an assistant event coordinator in the University Events office after graduating from West Virginia Wesleyan. She is now celebrating 10 years with the small-but-mighty team of four and has grown into her senior coordinator role, helping to guide the logistics and details that bring these major University events to life.

She considers her colleagues Director Kelly Saunders Flanagan, Program Specialist Kristin Greene and Program Coordinator Angela Murray to be trusted collaborators and friends who have supported her growth and who have together shaped their close-knit, high-performing team.

Much of the office's work centers on events connected to WVU President Michael T. Benson, many of which take place at the president's residence, Blaney House. The team organizes donor dinners, student engagement events and Board of Governors gatherings designed to create meaningful experiences for guests.

"A lot of what we do, and the preparations that we make, are simply to make people's experience at the president's house more enjoyable," McAtee said.

The four members of the University Events team: Director Kelly Saunders Flanagan, from left, Shannon McAtee, Program Specialist Kristin Greene and Program Coordinator Angela Murray. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)

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But the largest event on McAtee's calendar is May Commencement - a complex production that requires months of preparation and coordination across campus.

"Time management and organization in chaos is what everything takes," she said with a laugh.

Planning begins early each year as the University Events team maps out timelines, coordinates with vendors, and collaborates with offices ranging from every WVU school and college and the Office of the Registrar to the University Police Department, Transportation, Parking and Mail Services and Facilities Management. They order more than 4,800 leather diploma covers, set out more than 1,200 chairs on the floor of the Hope Coliseum and print more than 150 all-access passes for staff members working the event among countless other items that are checked off a long list of to-dos. The goal is simple - ensure thousands of graduates and their families experience a seamless celebration.

Shannon McAtee and her colleagues on the University Events team plan every gathering down the detail to make the visitor experience as meaningful as possible. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)

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It takes "lots and lots of communication" she explained, with a healthy dose of planning meetings and pre-setup efforts.

McAtee also carries a special clear bag during this time of year filled with floor diagrams, lineup sheets, tape, scissors, hand sanitizer, a phone charger, an "emotional support" water bottle, a doorstop because she said you never know when you'll need one and plenty of Diet Coke to keep her going. Nothing within the team's control is left to chance.

Even with careful planning, surprises happen and McAtee experienced that firsthand during one of her first Commencement weekends in a leadership role.

"At 6:30 a.m. the day of our first ceremony I got a call that the tunnel flooded," she recalled, referring to the space inside of the Hope Coliseum where off-stage preparations occur. The flood ended up being minor and was cleaned up before any of the ceremonies began, so, crisis averted, but, "The next day the power went out for a solid 10 seconds for no clear reason whatsoever. We weren't sure if it was going to happen again or if there was a bigger issue that we needed to worry about. Those are the moments we just can't plan for."

With precision and calm in the chaos, Shannon McAtee and her colleagues on the University Events team are a steady force behind the largest celebrations at WVU. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)

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Still, those challenges are part of what keeps the job rewarding.

"Nothing is ever the same and nothing is ever boring," McAtee said.

Although she didn't attend WVU, she jumped at the chance to work at the University after finishing her bachelor's degree.

"It has been incredibly meaningful to grow here as a professional," she said. "My colleagues are consistently supportive, collaborative and committed to helping one another achieve shared goals. I am just so, so lucky to be here."

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