Shaun McNally

McNally is a former Connecticut state legislator. He served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1987-1992, representing part of his hometown of Norwich and the town of Sprague. During his service in the state legislature, McNally chaired the Planning and Development Committee and gained a reputation as an expert on affordable housing and economic development matters. He was also a member of the Finance, Commerce, Judiciary and Human Services committees.

Shaun McNally was a candidate for the United States Congress in 2004. McNally lost an August 10, 2004 primary for the Democratic Party nomination in Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District to Jim Sullivan. He ran a grassroots-style campaign that featured his progressive policies on issues including the war in Iraq and strong advocacy for lobbying and campaign finance reform.

McNally is a former Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Liberia from 1982-84. In 1997, he was an election observer in the Liberian Presidential elections.

McNally was staff member for former U.S. Representative Sam Gejdenson, from 1981-82, and worked on the campaign staff for U.S. Senator Chris Dodd in 1980. He has also managed municipal to congressional level political campaigns.

From 1995-2003, McNally was Director of Public Affairs and Chief Internet Strategist for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA). During 2005, McNally worked in Iraq as a Food Security Advisor for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). From 2006-07, Shaun McNally was Country Director and Chief of Party for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) democracy and governance programs for Albania. He is currently Executive Director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, a coalition of organizations advocating for high quality early childhood education.

McNally graduated with a B.A in political science from the University of Connecticut. He also holds a master's degree in public administration (M.P.A.) from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.