Shonagh Clements is a trusted advisor to leadership teams and boards of directors. As a respected business strategist and attorney, Shonagh has built a distinguished career on the concept that any challenge is a chance to collaborate and connect people, do good work, and solve complex business problems. In each position and client engagement, she has drawn upon her differentiating background in strategic communications, public relations, crisis management, legal risk and exposure, government affairs, and business development to make a difference.
Recognized by client companies as a valuable resource, Shonagh ensures executives have the data needed to make informed decisions across a wide range of industries, ownership structures, and business cultures. She leads both internal and external teams, navigating clients through crisis situations, leadership transitions, regulatory and legislative challenges, market changes, shifts in corporate strategy, key stakeholder communications, and new business opportunities.
As Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Aboussie & Associates, Inc., Shonagh has played a key role in positioning this consulting firm as a leader in research-based and data-driven strategic initiatives for world-class businesses, including Fortune 500s. Prior to that, Shonagh founded a law practice and consultancy, Clements & Company, LLC, advising a broad client base in the areas of corporate counsel, civil litigation, public affairs, and government relations. In 2005, she was named among the St. Louis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” as a rising leader in the St. Louis community.
Throughout her career, Shonagh has been recruited to serve in legal, operations, and finance roles supporting three U.S. Presidential campaigns, most recently filling the position as the authorized legal representative in Missouri for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. In 2008 and 2016, she oversaw the statewide delegate selection processes for the respective DNC conventions and was an appointed member to the DNC’s Credentials Committee and Rules Committee. In 2003, Shonagh was recruited to serve as Deputy Finance Director for Missouri supporting Representative Dick Gephardt’s bid for the U.S. Presidency.
The trajectory of Shonagh’s career began in 1997 when she joined the legal firm of Stinson Leonard Street LLP as a Litigation Associate, having completed a clerkship with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth District in St. Louis. She graduated in the top 15% of her J.D. class at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, MA, and holds a B.A. (cum laude) in Urban Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.
Shonagh’s service and leadership contributions extend beyond her professional successes. She is a current Board Member for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and the Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri. Previously, she served on the boards for Places for People and Micro-Financing Partners in Africa. Shonagh is a former Commissioner for the Metro-Bi-State Development Agency. In 2000, she was elected to serve as Committeewoman of the St. Louis 24th Ward, a position she held until 2004. During that time, she was also a candidate for State Representative in Missouri’s 65th District.