Shirley hails from Pawcatuck, Connecticut. Upon graduating from UConn (Go Huskies!), she took the road most traveled to New York City and enjoyed various odd jobs such as a waitress at the Empire State Building, receptionist at 20th Century Fox, cocktail waitress at the popular disco Visage. She is known for portraying the former veterinarian turned forensic specialist Tanya, the consummate lover and hater of all things zombie in We're Alive, a multi-award winning audio podcast with now over 100 million downloads worldwide.