Ann Shaw was born and raised in the small town of Greensburg, Indiana, by her father, Tom, a professional cook and WWII veteran, and her mother, Barbara, an English teacher. Her grandparents were next-door neighbors who lived just a block away. Hers was an idyllic childhood in which she could roam a neighborhood of friendly faces and open spaces. As a young adult, Ann moved to Colorado and attended college, graduating with a BA in anthropology from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Soon after, she married and had a daughter. Meanwhile, her mother had remarried and relocated to the Phoenix area and so, when her own marriage ended, Ann, now a single mom, and her two-year-old daughter moved to Arizona to be near family again. It was there that she worked at a major hospital while earning a Master of Education degree from Arizona State University.
After teaching first grade in the Phoenix area for three years, her hope of moving to Cottonwood became a reality. She had known for some time that this was the place she wanted to raise her daughter because it reminded her of home. She and her mother found two little houses side-by-side on a quiet street. At her young daughter’s suggestion, they bought both and have lived as neighbors ever since. That was more than 30 years ago. Ann began teaching in public charter schools in the first year of their inception in Arizona. She became one of the founders of a school for at-risk students, where she served not only as an instructor but also as the director of a group of schools and president of the governing board. In addition to her experience as a school leader, she served the City as a Parks and Recreation commissioner for 20 years and was chair for her final term, gaining insight into the City’s needs and priorities. Having recently retired from the classroom after 33 years, Ann is still involved in education as the president of a non-profit curriculum development corporation. On the personal side, both her brother and sister have come to live in the area and her daughter and son-in-law have moved here and she is now a grandmother!
The decision to run for mayor comes from a concern for preserving everyone’s quality of life here in Cottonwood and a willingness to serve the office with professionalism and devotion.