[6] Since 1994, she has worked for the Keystone Center,[8] a nonprofit focusing on science education and dispute resolution,[9] by 2007 becoming their Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
[13] During her tenure on the board of education, Scanlan was critical of standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act,[14] and was a proponent of greater engagement with the local Spanish-speaking community.
[16] Scanlan was selected over five other applicants to fill the remainder of Gibbs' two-year term; a majority of the thirteen members of the vacancy committee present chose her on the first ballot.
[18] After being appointed to the legislature, Scanlan reduced her work load at the Keystone Center to a part-time position, but remained president of the Summit School Board[6] through 2008.
She intends to run for a full term in the 2008 general elections,[17] and to continue serving on the Summit School District board, although stepping down from her role as president.
[23] In September 2008 Scanlan led a delegation of Summit County officials to Washington, D.C. to lobby for additional resources to combat bark beetle infestations.
[51][52] Scanlan was also critical of Hasan's plans to press for construction of a monorail along the I-70 corridor, instead supporting a thorough and coordinated study of the impacts and costs of mass transit.
[53][54][55] In contrast with Hasan's advocacy of reduced regulation of national forests, Scanlan called for increased federal funding for local projects to mitigate pine beetle damage.
[63] Scanlan, with Sen. Gibbs, again led a delegation to Washington D.C. in February 2009 to lobby for funding to address fire dangers arising from the bark beetle epidemic.