Shannon Hegy is the Emmy-winning co-anchor of the 5, 6, 6:30, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts on WPRI-12.

She was raised in Windsor, Connecticut, but spent much of her childhood vacationing in Rhode Island. She’s always had a love affair with the Ocean State and told her parents at a very young age that she would live here one day.

Shannon graduated from Hofstra University in New York in 2007 with a degree in broadcast journalism. There, she interned at the Today Show in New York City and anchored Hofstra News Now, the school’s monthly news program. It’s also where she met her husband Matt. (The two were married in October 2012.)

Shannon got her first job at WGGB in Springfield, Massachusetts, right out of college. She started behind the scenes on the assignment desk and quickly worked her way up the ranks in her five years there, becoming an on-air reporter and eventually the main anchor. It was during five hours of live, unscripted coverage of the deadly June 2011 tornado that Shannon realized anchoring was her calling. While at WGGB, she also covered major stories like the Sandy Hook school shooting and the Boston Marathon bombings.

In 2013, she decided she was ready for the next step in her career and joined the talented team at WPRI 12.  In the 11 years she's been in Rhode Island, she's given birth to her beautiful boys, Carter and Theo, won two Emmy awards, and become involved with several local non-profits, including The Izzy Foundation and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  She also launched a series called "Small but Strong," about local children battling medical odds — inspired by her son Carter's battle with bacterial meningitis in 2017. 

In 2024, Shannon met Lisa while making a story about "Universe Juice" and the events that brought the organization to fruition.  The two hit it off immediately, and Shannon knew this was a person and purpose she was meant to be a part of.  She is honored to be on the Universe Juice board and to continue helping Lisa pay it forward.