An Indian Lake Class of 2006 alumnus, IL parent and current school board member played a key role during the recent Presidential Election.
*As a school district, our Board of Education, administration and staff members do not endorse any particular candidate. However, we do want to highlight the important and interesting work that this Laker performed during the campaign.*
Ms. Shannon Reese was a member of the Donald Trump Advance Team over the past several months. Reese has a background in law enforcement and marketing through her work in Logan County and beyond, which led to connections with Trump administration officials. Back in 2022, she was recruited to help with a rally in Delaware, Ohio. From then, Reese continued to assist with regional rallies, working with special guests of the President and other political candidates. After proving herself dependable and trustworthy, she was invited to serve as the “RON” (Remain Overnight) special preparations member of the Trump Advance Team.
“Really, my role was just to oversee everything from the time he was wheels down at the airport and he was coming to the hotel or house or wherever he was staying—everything under that umbrella.”
Reese’s job consisted of arriving at a rally destination about one week ahead of President Trump. She would prepare his lodgings to his specific preferences and make sure he had his favorite snacks and comfort items. After the President arrived at the destination and was satisfied with his accommodations, Reese would move on to the next location and repeat the process. She worked closely with the Secret Service, the Press Corps and many others to ensure the President’s safety and contentment along the campaign trail.
When Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, Reese was already stationed at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin, where the President was set to arrive next.
“All we heard was that President Trump had been shot and the air just went out of the room. It all happened so fast.” She continued, “We knew he was alive. We didn’t see the whole fist pump, fight, fight, fight live—we got pictures of it, so we knew he was fine, but we didn’t know it was just the ear at the time, we had no details. So I’m thinking to myself, what do I need to do?”
Reese received President Trump 12 hours later at the RNC hotel. She said despite the chaos, the President was in good spirits and she had all his favorites at the ready.
“He loves Diet Coke and he loves orange Fanta, as well. He loves snacks, like, loves snacks. If he would order dinner, he could call up right now and say that I want dinner and I would know two things—he would either want steak, mashed potatoes with whipped butter, not a fan of the vegetables, but I always put greens on his plate anyway. He wants it well done or a hamburger well done and French fries. He loves French fries!”
In addition, Reese reports that preparations for his room consisted of having pre-popped popcorn, ice cream in the freezer and a refrigerator fully stocked with Diet Coke, water and Fanta.
In the 10 weeks after the Republican National Convention, Reese was only home for a handful of days. She “dropped” in approximately 30 cities across 10 different states. In such a whirlwind, she took lots of photos and kept mementos to help her remember this adventure.
"I bought a glass cookie jar. Sometimes we’ll get credentials, so I kept the credentials, pins and the hotel keys and I’d write the date that I did that work.”
Reese chose to come home with her family for Election Night, but she was still in close communication with her friends in Florida with President Trump.
“That night I was confident, but I was a nervous wreck ...The next morning, obviously we found out he won, won by so much…It was about two cups of coffee in that I became wildly emotional. I was crying.” She continued, “The amount of messages that I got were comparable to when he got shot in Butler, and those messages were comparable to family and friends checking in after the tornado. It was crazy!”
During the campaign, Reese worked alongside Vice President JD Vance, Susie Wiles—President Trump’s newly-named Chief of Staff, top level Secret Service officials and many more people who are sure to serve in Trump’s incoming administration. Reese will likely have the opportunity to serve, as well.
But for now, Shannon is humbled and proud to have been part of the successful 2024 Trump Advance Team.
“It’s not our faces, it’s not our names that are going to be making history. But, like, the work that we did is what ultimately made history and that feeling is an indescribable feeling.”