MaNina McNeill, MSW, Program Director
MaNina McNeill earned a BSW degree from Meredith College, and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Mrs. McNeill began her service at Shaw University in 2007.  In addition to being an Assistant Professor, she has served as the Assistant Director of Field Education, the Coordinator of Field Education, and Interim Chair of the Department of Social Work.  Before pursuing a career in higher education, Mrs. McNeill practiced in a variety of areas in the Social Work profession to include child welfare, mental health, and working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.  She enjoys her role in helping students to prepare for graduate school and professional social work. 

Twayla Eason, MSW, LCSW, CCSOTS, Assistant Professor of Social Work
Professor Eason earned her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from East Carolina University in 2003 and 2006. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Clinically Certified Sex Offender Treatment Specialist. Professor Eason is also certified in Clinical Supervision and rostered in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) by the North Carolina Child Treatment Program. Since 2014, Professor Eason has served as Clinical Supervisor for the Child First Program. In this role, she provides Reflective Supervision as well as Clinical and Administrative oversight/supervision for Mental Health Clinicians and Family Resource Partners. In 2017, Professor Eason was selected by the Association of Social Work Boards to serve on the Standard Setting Panel for the ASWB Bachelors Examination. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), North Carolina Infant Mental Health Association (NCIMHA), National Association of Forensic Counselors (NAFC), and the National Black Child Development Institute (NCBDI). Her research interests include:  Infant Toddler Mental Health, Parent-Child Relationships, Child Welfare/Foster Care, Trauma, Attachment, Parenting

Lashaunda Lucas MSW, LCSW, Assistant Professor
Mrs. Lashaunda Lucas is currently an Assistant Professor at Shaw University teaching undergraduate courses in Social Work. Mrs. Lucas serves as a faculty liaison for the Phi Alpha Honor Society as well as the Shaw University Student Social Work Association. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Mrs. Lucas has served as an Outpatient Therapist for youth and families involved with the Department of Juvenile Justice, persons with mental health diagnosis’s, and in Foster care and Adoption.  Mrs. Lucas was awarded a Light House Certification by the Teaching Families Association (TFA), an international organization that ensures the quality of care provided by professionals who actively pursue the goals of humane, effective, individualized treatment for children, families, and dependent adults.  With this, Mrs. Lucas has been afforded the opportunity to present at national TFA conferences to educate and inform helping professionals.   Mrs. Lucas received her Bachelor of Social Work at East Carolina University in 2010, and her Master of Social Work at East Carolina University in 2011. 

Mary Pugh-Bailey, Field Coordinator
Mary Pugh-Bailey is a 2010 graduate from the Shaw University Social Work program.  Prior to coming to Shaw University, she worked as an Instructor with Vocational Rehabilitation, a Mentor Advocate with a non-profit agency that served homeless families, Quality Manager and several other social work activities with human service agency. She received her MSW in 2011 from the Advanced Standing Program at North Carolina State University, and is presently pursuing a PhD in Social Work from Walden University. She is very passionate about the social work profession, Shaw University and the Social Work Program. Her engagement with students on being the best they can be, reach for the stars, and always strive for excellence is an integral part of her daily instruction.

LaToya Warren-Heath, MSW, Assistant Professor
LaToya Warren-Heath, a former foster care social worker, has over 13 years of experience in the field of Child/Adolescent and Adult Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment.  She was a former supervisor for a private agency that focused on child safety as well as permanency for families and children in the foster care system. Along with foster care, Professor Heath has worked in several other areas of social work as well as DWI and Court Initiated Treatment through Wake and Pitt Counties.  In 2005, Professor Heath received a B.S. in Criminal Justice from North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC; in 2011 she received a Master’s in Social Work from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.  While in graduate school, Professor Heath, along with former colleagues, published Substance Abuse among Professionals: Limited Research on Substance-Abusing Social Workers (October 2011) in an effort to demonstrate the need of support to professionals in the field of social work and to also show the discrepancies with being able to receive treatment.  She is a true believer in growth through experience and encourages her students daily to advocate for themselves and their future.