Health Science Faculty Member, Furman Unversity
“The world will tell you what success looks like, but truly success looks differently for different people.” The words of Dr. Shaniece Criss. She has defined her own success by fulfilling purpose in three main areas: government, media, and academia. And she has succeeded in all three. She was the first African American female to be elected to the Travelers Rest City Council in the Upstate. She is an assistant professor of Health Science at Furman University. And as a public health practitioner, Dr. Criss served as producer and host for a national television show for the Ministry of Health in Guyana, South America, during her Peace Corps service. She received her Doctor of Science degree from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. At the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, she was awarded a Presidential Public Service Fellowship. She serves on the board of directors for Prisma Health, Public Education Partners, Dining for Women and SC YMCA Youth in Government and Teen Achievers.
About the Honoree
Dr. Shaniece Criss is health science faculty member at Furman University and a community-engaged qualitative researcher addressing health equity and health communication. She partners with Furman’s Institute for the Advancement of Community Health as an academic lead on projects with Prisma Health-Upstate and LiveWell Greenville. She is also a fellow of Riley Institute’s Diversity Leaders Initiative, the Shi Center for Sustainability, the Shucker Leadership Institute, the Collaborative for Community-Engaged Learning, as well as, a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.
Dr. Criss is an elected official on Travelers Rest City Council and serves on the board of directors for Prisma Health, Public Education Partners, Dining for Women, and SC YMCA Youth in Government & Teen Achievers. In the past, she has served on the Greenville County Human Relations Commission and Travelers Rest Municipal Election Commission. Recently, she has been named a “ChangeMaker” by the Jefferson Awards Foundation and a Greenville County Schools Hall of Fame Inductee.
As a public health practitioner, Dr. Criss served as producer and host for a national television show for the Ministry of Health in Guyana, South America, during her Peace Corps service. She also held positions at ICF International, Centers for Disease Control, and CNN.
After attaining her undergraduate degree in communications from Oglethorpe University and a Master of Public Health from Emory University, Dr. Criss earned her Doctor of Science degree from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also earned her Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was awarded a Presidential Public Service Fellowship and a Political Campaign Practicum.
About Women Vision SC
Women Vision SC is a program that focuses on issues affecting women throughout the state and the nation and a new generation of young people pursuing public service for their communities and the state at large. The program is produced and hosted by former SCETV president Linda O’Bryon.