Rooted and Growing: Shaniece Criss

Shaniece Criss didn’t stumble into public service. It’s something she’s been growing into her entire life.

As a child in Greenville, South Carolina, Shaniece’s grandmother told her she would become a public servant. From those early days to global experiences with the Peace Corps and advanced study at Harvard, her path has been shaped by a commitment to advocacy, access and community voice. Now back home, she’s putting that commitment into action in ways that are both local and far-reaching.

The Making of a Public Servant

Shaniece’s path to public service started early. She successfully ran for student council and club positions throughout elementary, middle and high school, driven by the belief that every voice deserves to be heard.

It was in these early moments that her path began to take shape. During high school, she saw health reports on the news highlighting disparities in how different groups were impacted. These stories prompted her to discover how she could make a difference.

“Advocacy has always been part of me,” she says, “because I want people to have the information, and I want it to be an environment where people can thrive.”

For Shaniece, public health has always been about access and making sure no one is left out.

From Greenville to Guyana and Beyond

Shaniece traveled and studied extensively. She earned a B.A. in Communication from Oglethorpe University, a Master of Public Health from Emory University, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and a Doctor of Science from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

She also spent time as a Peace Corps volunteer at Guyana’s Ministry of Health, where she worked to make health clinics accessible to adolescents. While there, she hosted a national television show on health, drug and alcohol awareness. Along the way, she also brought her public health lens to roles at the CDC, ICF International and CNN.

Coming Home

Eighteen years after leaving Greenville, Shaniece returned home with a purpose. Today she serves as an associate professor in Furman University’s Health Sciences Department and director of the Advocacy and Social Policy (MAP) master’s program. But her investment in the community doesn’t stop at the classroom. When a seat opened on the Travelers Rest City Council in 2018, she ran for it.

“I remember Travelers Rest when I was a young child,” she says, “and to see how it’s growing and thriving now, I wanted to be part of that.”

She won the election, becoming the first African American woman on the Travelers Rest City Council. The milestone is meaningful, and so is the work. She is involved in tangible improvements: ADA-compliant features at Trailblazer Park, sidewalk requirements for new subdivisions and a community input process before major development projects move forward. Shaniece also launched a Youth Council Academy, where middle schoolers learn about city council, attend council meetings and present their own ideas for making the city better.

The MAP Program

Shaniece describes the MAP program through a metaphor: grassroots and grasstops.

Grassroots is about organizing people, building awareness and supporting people in the community. Grasstops is about working with decision-makers, the people who write bills and vote on laws. The MAP program prepares students to operate at both levels.

“To me, that’s the perfect combination,” she says, “so you can engage the whole spectrum of how to make a positive change in your community.”

Her dual roles as director of MAP and city council representative reinforce each other in practice, too. She encourages her students to attend city and county council meetings so they can watch advocacy happen in real time. What they learn there, they take home by showing up at their own town meetings to advocate for issues they care about.

Civically Grown

Shaniece recognized that some of the most compelling stories she’s heard often go untold. So, she launched Civically Grown, a podcast about everyday changemakers to talk about what shaped them, what they’re doing now and what advice they’d pass on.

She released the first episode on November 13, 2025 — her grandmother’s birthday, the same woman who first told her she’d be a public servant.

The guests have been extraordinary. She’s interviewed a woman who imports coffee from East Africa and Latin America and another who rescues children forced to work in mines.

“These are the types of stories that I feel privileged to hear,” she says.

The Strategic Optimist

On every episode of her podcast, Shaniece asks her guests to describe their leadership growth as a plant, tree or flower. Her own answer is a Gerber Daisy: rooted and substantive, with a bright, colorful outlook that brings joy to others.

It’s a fitting image for someone who calls herself “a strategic optimist.” She pairs a positive outlook with a practical mind, always looking for solutions to challenges that will move people forward.

“I really want to inspire people, motivate them and encourage them to take action,” she says. “That is who I am at my core.”

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The Civically Grown podcast is available on Apple and Spotify.