His first career milestone is marked by a 30-year career with Price Waterhouse LLP, now PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, where he served clients with responsive advice on tax matters, enterprise risk management, system integration, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Shipley became a partner in 1988 and retired in 2004, having served clients in three different practice offices as well as the firm's national office.

Shipley then went on to work as the Executive Director of a large Pittsburgh-based regional law firm (Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP, now Clark Hill, PLC) where he managed all aspects of firm operations, including financial, human resources, records management, and information technology. He then joined McKinley Carter in 2011 as Chief Administrative Officer, where he handled administrative management for all of the firm's five regional offices.

Beyond his professional ties to the Pittsburgh area, Shipley is also very active in various community and civic organizations. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Hampton Shaler Water Authority and is a board member and Audit Committee Chair of the Foundation for Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his college alma mater. Additionally, he serves on IUP's College of Business Advisory Board and is a past president and board member of the IUP Alumni Association. Further, Shipley served for more than 25 years as a board member of the United Methodist Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, and then "retired" from the Foundation after having served as Chairman and member on the Foundation's Executive Committee. Currently Shipley is an Elder and former Trustee of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh and an active member of Rotary Clubs International, Hampton Township Chapter.

His professional memberships include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Financial Executives International.

With service and experience spanning nearly five decades working in the professional services sector of the Pittsburgh market, along with his community commitment and civic involvement, Shipley's role as Regional Director permits him to be instrumental in developing partnerships and new business opportunities, as well as expanding the firm's recognition, to those who may benefit from McKinley Carter's uncommon approach to financial service.