Mary Shanklin

Board Member, Fifth Estate Media & UCF

Mary Shanklin owns Fifth Estate Media publishing group with authors including three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and NBC commentator Rowdy Gaines. She previously worked as a journalist for the Orlando Sentinel, Florida Times-Union and USA Today. Her work has garnered dozens of local, state and national awards, including a Pulitzer finalist for the Sentinel’s coverage of the Pulse nightclub shooting. In Spring 2019 she served as an adjunct instructor for the UCF Nicholson School of Communication and Media. In 2018, she launched the Wheels for Words campaign, raising thousands of dollars to benefit the Adult Literacy League as part of her cross-USA cycling trip.