Staff

Shannon Dobranski has been an educator at Georgia Tech since 1996. She is currently the Director of Pre-Graduate and Pre-Professional Advising, overseeing a team committed to students and alumni seeking careers in education, law, or health, or pursuing graduate admission or prestigious fellowships.

Shannon earned her Ph.D. in English literature at the University of Texas (hook-em!) in her hometown of Austin. Her field of study was Shakespeare, and her dissertation focused on absent fathers in Shakespeare’s middle comedies. As a faculty member at Georgia Tech, her teaching and research focused on Shakespeare, Shakespearean adaptations, adaptation studies more generally, and short fiction.

After serving as a Brittain Fellow in Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Shannon took on the role of undergraduate coordinator for that school and was subsequently promoted to associate director of undergraduate studies. In that role, she oversaw the day-to-day management of two degree programs: Science, Technology, and Culture and Computational Media. She also coordinated several study abroad opportunities, including exchange programs with universities in Sweden and Denmark as well as a faculty-led program in Italy.

Since 2013, Shannon has worked in Georgia Tech’s Office of Undergraduate Education, where she served as the Director of the Center for Academic Success and the Director of Pre-Graduate and Pre-Professional Advising in the Career Center. She believes that advising is relationship and that effective advising is critical for student success in higher education. Shannon is a member of several professional organizations, including NACADA, PLANC, NAFA, and NAAHP.

At home, Shannon enjoys books, television, and movies, which she shares with her brilliant husband, Stephen, and amazing daughter, Audrey.

Francisco Castelan attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received Bachelor degrees in both Psychology and Spanish. Mr. Castelan earned an MS degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While working at UW-Madison, he discovered his passion for helping college students explore and connect their strengths and interests toward their future careers. He brings more than ten years of experience with health professions advising, including continued collaboration with the Tour for Diversity in Medicine, a non-profit organization. He currently holds leadership positions in the National Association of Advisors in the Health Profession (NAAHP) as a Co-Chair for the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) and represents NAAHP on the Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (COSDA) for the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Group on Student Affairs (GSA). In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and pursuing his artistic endeavors with photography and acrylic painting.

Mariah Liggins attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she received her bachelor’s degree in both Women Studies and African American Studies.Mrs. Liggins earned an MS degree in Higher Education with a concentration in Leadership for Student Success. While working as a student assistant at UTK she discovered her love for helping college students, coordinating events and participating in on campus events. Throughout Mariah’s professional career her passion for connecting with students through advising has continued to grow and evolve over time from academic advising to career advising. Helping students achieve their academic and career goals has always been her focus.

Mariah joined Georgia Tech in 2019 and comes with more than 5 years of professional academic and career advising experience. Outside of work Mariah enjoys traveling, reading and
creating new memories with family.