[1] In 1993, President Bill Clinton[3] appointed her to the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC),[4] making her the first African-American woman to serve in that role.

[5][6] Shackelford received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas.

During her tenure in local government, Shackelford directed liaison activities for minority businesses and held leadership positions at the National League of Cities.

In 1993, President Clinton appointed Shackelford as a US Delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Vienna, Austria.

She regularly participates in political forums of other countries, including Azerbaijan, Russia, West Germany and Taiwan, and she has observed elections in Romania and the Baltic States.