As a national leader in her specialty, she participates on national and state nursing workforce committees, including but not limited to the Nurse Advisory Committee for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, the Campaign for Nursing Workgroup, the National Competency-based Education Nurse Network, The North Carolina Workforce Development Taskforce, and the Tri-Council for Nursing Taskforce as an advocate for the correctional nursing specialty. New collaborations align with the Association for Nursing Professional Development and the International Society for Professional Identity in Nursing to promote correctional nurse-led innovations under a Center 4 Correctional Nursing she has co-founded with Dr. Roscoe targets correctional nursing resources, workforce development and practice outcomes. A translational science researcher, Dr. Shelton aims to apply research discoveries into practical applications that benefit correctional nurses. She continues to publish and present nationally and internationally; her work is read in at least 150 countries. She also provides career mentoring.