Shelly R. Montante | Montante Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics

Shelly is a board-certified nurse practitioner with 10 years of nursing experience with a focus in surgery. However, her career as a nurse practitioner has been shaped by a colorful life of unique experiences. She grew up in the Tidewater area of Virginia, daughter of a registered nurse and a draftsman. Shelly grew up in an environment of helping others, assisting with the charity work of her grandmother, who founded the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Tidewater. Little did she know how that work would play in her later life.

At the age of 15, Shelly signed with the international modeling agency, IMG, and she began a long career of high fashion runway and print modeling that started in New York and then to Europe. Shortly after high school, she moved to Europe to pursue her career in modeling. After living and working in Paris for 2 years, she eventually settled in Milan for three years to continue her career. While in Milan, she become a mother to her son, Patrick. Patrick’s Down Syndrome brought Shelly a whole new perspective of life and purpose. Through her experiences with her son, she developed a strong sense of service and advocacy to those in need.

Upon moving back to the US, she embarked on a variety of other endeavors that served as the foundation to her entrepreneurial spirit: she opened her own gallery and modeling agency called MODA in Norfolk, VA, where she hosted gallery openings every other week. Upon the sale of her gallery she was then counter manager for Chanel at Nordstrom in Richmond, VA.

Through her early experiences with her grandmother and the issues she faced with her son, she decided to dedicate her life to helping and advocating for those in need, and she pursued a career in nursing. Shelly obtained her BSN from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was awarded the RN Award for her Six Sigma application to the robotics program of VCU’s operating room. She later obtained the Certified Nurses of the Operating Room only to further her education by becoming a Registered Nurse First Assist, with expertise in robotics and plastic surgery. Although she enjoyed her role as an RN First Assist, she wanted to become a more integral part of the care of her patients. As a result, she continued her nursing education, and she achieved her Master of Science in Nursing in Adult Gerontology Primary Care from Walden University. In addition to her formal education, Shelly is a certified nurse injector for a variety of injectable treatments and is one of the few local licensed providers of medical and aesthetic tattooing.

Shelly is the proud mother of three children and the wife of her partner in life and work, Steve Montante. Together they have seven children that they cherish. She enjoys cooking, traveling, and working to bring awareness to multiple causes in our evolving society.