Dr. Shanéa Thomas, LICSW (He/She/Dr.) is a bold lecturer and seasoned scholar-practitioner with more than 15 years of professional social work experience in the Washington D.C. metro area. His main commitment is training and strategizing with social workers, educators, and service providers around building safer therapeutic and educational spaces for all people. This is especially for those working in communities who are underserved and under-resourced, and those identifying as Black, Indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQI+ folks. Dr. Thomas has facilitated over 60 workshops centering diversity, equity and inclusion needs, grief and loss, mental health, sex and gender, and LGBTQI+ populations, and featured at Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Virginia, and national organizations such as NPR and the Human Rights Campaign. When creating organizational change through strategic planning, Dr. Thomas’ work unapologetically centers marginalized voices with community organizations and healthcare institutions to help shift power, privilege, and organizational accountability.
For the past ten years, Dr. Thomas has dedicated her time as a Senior Lecturer for the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work’s Virtual Academic Center. Dr. Thomas is currently a Research Associate for WhitworthKee Consulting. Dr. Thomas is now focusing his work and research on workplace burnout and support, death, grieving, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ people post-COVID and the 2020 Racial Uprisings.
She is a proud alumnx of Virginia Tech, Howard University, and Widener University holding a BS in Psychology, a Masters of Social Work degree with a concentration of Direct Services (Families and Children), a Masters in Education, and an Advanced Certificate in Human Sexuality Studies, respectively and an EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership through the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Whether through trainings, workshops, or supervision, Dr. Thomas is humbled to be using his gifts to serve the community.