About Marie Shanley
A Career in Advocacy
Up-and-coming children’s digital wellbeing policy analyst, pivoting through a Master’s in Child Advocacy and Policy with 10+ years of experience building parent and professional social impact resources.
For seven years, I hosted a live-stream talk show: gaming, fundraising or interviewing mental health subject matter experts with live Q+As built to inform viewers on mental health topics before the world was ready to have those conversations.
That experience built up a Twitch Partnership, a blog, a book, public speaking engagements, industry panels, MIT-published research, and more.
From there, I landed at Sesame Workshop, where I managed the launch of their mental health program and editorial for their autism initiative, before launching their digital well-being program with Google.org.
Today, I’m combining that experience with a Master’s in Child Advocacy and Policy, determined to help families by bringing common-sense analog policies for child safety and advocacy into online and gaming spaces.
A Future in Child Advocacy and Digital Well-being Policy
I'm currently pursuing my MA in Child Advocacy and Policy at Montclair State University (through Fall 2027) to transition my 12 years of research, communications, outreach, and program management experience into policy work.
Having worked in digital spaces in mental health advocacy and digital well-being for over a decade, I know the value of modern technology in the democratization of information, upward mobility, and socialization for marginalized identities.
Families, innovators, and governments shouldn’t be forced into knee-jerk, fear-based reactions towards games, AI use, or digital safety. Rather, they deserve to be informed and prepared with strong moral codes that inform them both as citizens and consumers. Technology can be an incredible connector and resource for resilience. Connected families deserve mindful policy that reflects their true needs while aiding long-term social congruence.
That’s what I am setting out to build with Raising Good Gamers at Games for Change, through a new Sesame Workshop initiative, and by helping New Jersey Children’s Alliance develop educational frameworks that prepare multidisciplinary teams for what’s ahead.