He has presented at several conferences and chaired at a number of panel discussions. Currently, Shea is being considered as a presenter at two venues — the Annual Conference of the Nineteenth Century Studies Association at Florida International University and the Annual Conference of the Northeast Victorian Studies Association at the University of Toronto. He has a Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Oregon, a Master of Arts in cultural studies and English literature from Kansas State University and a B.S. in English from Frostburg State University. He also earned a graduate certificate in women's studies from Kansas State University.