Shannon O. Pierce is president and CEO of Virginia Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Southern Company Gas. She previously served as vice president, strategy and chief administrative officer at Virginia Natural Gas having returned to her native Commonwealth to work for the company in the Fall of 2023. Pierce is responsible for the delivery of clean, safe, and reliable natural gas service to over 310,000 customers in southeastern Virginia. In addition, Pierce serves as senior vice president of Southern Company Gas.

Pierce’s involvement in the community and professional associations includes membership in the Virginia State Bar, the American Association of Blacks in Energy, and the Workforce Development Executive Council of the Center for Energy Workforce Development. Pierce is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She currently serves on the boards of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Elizabeth River Project, the Hampton Roads Executive Business Roundtable, RVA757 Connects, and the Blueprint Virginia 2035 Steering Committee. Additionally, she is a member and former board member of the Energy Bar Association Southern Chapter, where she previously served as president. She has also served on boards for various not-for-profit organizations focusing on education and economic equity.

Pierce began her career as a lawyer with McGuireWoods in Richmond, Virginia. Since joining Southern Company Gas in 2004, Pierce has held leadership roles with increasing responsibility in legal, regulatory and external affairs, and commercial and utility operations.

Pierce was honored in 2023 as an Atlanta Business Chronicle Leader in Corporate Citizenship, in 2020 as one of Quad County (Illinois) Urban League’s Women of Power, as one of Atlanta Business League’s 2017 and 2023 100 Women of Influence and named as one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2014 Forty under 40. She is a member of the 2015 class of Leadership Georgia and a 2018-19 Fellow with the International Women’s Forum Foundation Leadership Fellows Program, which includes executive education at Harvard Business School and INSEAD (France). Pierce is a member of LEAD Virginia Class of 2024.

Pierce received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia. She is an emeritus member of the board of managers for the alumni association. She also has undergone extensive executive education at the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Executive Education Program.