Shannon Daut is the inaugural National Director for the US Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) where she fosters and leads the collaborative efforts of the six RAOs. Her career has included roles in executive leadership at Regional, State and Local Arts Agencies. From 2016-2023 she led the Cultural Affairs Division for the City of Santa Monica, California. In that role she conceptualized and led the implementation of Acknowledge and Reframe Together, a program that produced public art and civic memory projects that center community voices, and Art of Recovery, which supported artistic efforts that addressed the City’s recovery needs. Previous to that role, she was the Executive Director of the Alaska State Council on the Arts. While there, she re-imagined and re-invigorated the leadership role of the agency in state policy, from tourism and economic development to education and Alaska Native cultural advancement. Prior to moving to Alaska, Daut was Deputy Director of the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), where she oversaw the organization's work in cultural policy development and building technology systems that served the arts field.