Andy Shaw has covered local, state and national politics for 37 years, 26 of which were spent at WLS-TV. Upon immediately retiring after President Barack Obama's swearing in ceremony, Shaw took a short break to "recharge my batteries" and is now back at the Better Government Association (BGA) as the Executive Director.

Shaw also covers political campaigns and elections, presidential primaries, conventions and debates, including poll coverage for ABC 7. In addition, Shaw's travels on political stories have taken him to Mexico, Canada, England, Ireland and Cuba. He is also a frequent guest host on WLS Radio.

Prior to joining ABC 7, Shaw was an education reporter and then the editorial director at NBC 5 from 1976 to 1982, where he won several awards, including two local Emmys. He also contributes freelance articles to a variety of publications.

Before working in television, Shaw had been the education editor at the Chicago Sun-Times. He joined the paper in 1974, during which time he won several major awards, including first prize in the 1976 American Association of University Professors competition, for a series he wrote on the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Prior to his tenure at the Sun-Times, Shaw spent two years as a general assignment reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago.

Shaw was born in Chicago and raised in suburban Evanston. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. His hobbies include running, cycling, reading, crossword puzzles and traveling with his family.

Shaw and his wife Mary also run the Windy City Urban Inn, a bed and breakfast in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. They have three daughters: Kate, a lawyer at the White House; Elizabeth, an administrator for the New Orleans Recovery School District and Emily, a graduate student at the University of Illinois. He was born in Evanston, Illinois, and received a BS in psychology from UIC, the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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