A native of Seattle, Shelly feels lucky to have been a full-time, at home mom to twin boys. Her choice allowed her to be room mom, photographer, chauffeur, cook, soccer coach, party planner, educator, student, and homework helper. 

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In 2005, her role as homework helper led her to discover Rwanda and the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Seeing a parallel to the Holocaust, she took an unexpected deep dive to know more.  She returned to school to complete her BA in Social Justice, and in 2012 she earned her Master’s in Communication from Antioch University, Seattle. 

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Over the last decade Shelly has been an avid student and photographer; she pulled her kids from Seattle Public Schools and enrolled them in a Rwandan school; with her new husband Paul she designed and opened Intore Expeditions & Business Tours, a tour company; and she has been a devoted volunteer with Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity.