Shannon Risley is General Manager of the Niskayuna Co-op, an independently owned grocery store that has been continuously serving the community since 1943. Risley joined the Co-op in August 2020 and brings two decades of distinguished leadership excellence. She is responsible for the store’s strategic priorities, fiscal health, cultural development, and community engagement and implemented quarterly leadership training for Department Managers that covers leadership and team-building skills, calculating sales to purchase ratios, and using waste logs to manage shrink and control inventory. Her innovative leadership and commitment to developing her team are only part of the Co-op’s success. Risley increased purchases from local vendors to address fluctuating and unpredictable supply chains to provide customers with much-needed and desired products while supporting the local business community.
Prior to the Co-op, Risley served in a range of management positions at Walmart, developing a multidisciplinary prowess. During her tenure, she was one of 80 selected from a pool of 80,000 applicants to participate in Walmart’s lauded Leadership Academy for an intensive year-long program where she received masters-level management training from the company’s top leaders, industry experts, and other top national companies.
Risley resides in Altamont, NY with her husband and three young children.