2025 Awardees
We are grateful to these social workers for upholding the integrity of the social work profession and for their tireless efforts to serve.
Dana D Warren, LCSW
Clinical Director, HandinHand Counseling Services
Dana D. Warren, LCSW, is the Clinical Director at HandinHand Counseling Services, with over 25 years of experience in individual and group therapy. As a visionary behind the SIGH Trauma Recovery Program and the DBT Therapeutic Experience, she empowers clients to overcome their past and cultivate hope for the future. Dana finds it rewarding to give back to the Social Work Community by supervising the phenomenal clinicians at HiH. A two-time breast cancer thriver, she is passionate about supporting women with the disease. In her spare time, Dana enjoys singing, time with family, nurturing her goddaughter, and working with her brother in their pool maintenance business.
Detria M Dixon, MSW, LSW
School Social Worker, Pittsburgh Public Schools
Detria received her formal training as a school social worker from the University of
Pittsburgh. However, she received her education from the National Association of Black
Social Workers and the Association of Black Psychologists, respectfully.
Detria has dutifully served in a social worker capacity as a community school site-director and a school social worker, but her most recent work is an afterschool program she started in 2022 called Kukua Na Nia, LLC, which means “I am purpose”. The culturally relevant intervention helps adolescent Black girls resist racial oppressions while learning to love and appreciate each other and their culture.
Janiece Anderson, LSW
School Social Worker, Allegheny Traditional Academy 6-8 with Pittsburgh Public Schools
Janiece Anderson is a compassionate social worker with a lifelong passion for helping others. Currently serving at Allegheny Traditional Academy for Pittsburgh Public Schools, Janiece brings over 17 years of experience, including roles in mobile therapy, family development, service coordination, and residential counseling. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Slippery Rock University and her Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh in 2009. Today, she has found her true calling as a school social worker, guiding and uplifting the lives of youth and making a lasting impact on her students every day.
Khavah Murray, MSW, LCSW, CCTP, CGP
Director of Behavioral Health & Social Services, Primary Care Health Services Inc., Owner/Founder Hope Deals Counseling & Consulting
Khavah Murray, LCSW, CCTP, CGP brings over 16 years of extensive experience in mental health and community services, specializing in children and families. As the Director of Behavioral Health and Social Services at Primary Care Health Services (PCHS), she leads efforts to expand access to quality mental health care for underserved communities. Founder of Hope Deals Counseling & Consulting, Ms. Murray is passionate about providing culturally responsive services and addressing the critical need for Black and Brown therapists. In addition, she is an adjunct professor of social work at Penn State Greater Allegheny. Ms. Murray also hosts workshops and events, fostering partnerships that promote mental wellness, self-care, and professional growth.
Michelle L McMurray, MSW
Vice President, Program and Community Engagement, The Pittsburgh Foundation
Michelle McMurray, MSW, has a 20-year career spanning academic research, clinical practice and policy advocacy that has been shaped by a commitment to supporting the self-determination of low-income communities and working to eliminate racial inequities across systems. Michelle currently serves as the vice president of Program and Community Engagement at The Pittsburgh Foundation where she is responsible for the strategic direction, development and management of the Foundation’s grantmaking programs and community engagement efforts. Over her 10-year tenure at the Foundation, Michelle has led the creation of innovative initiatives to increase access to funding for small and Black and Brown-led organizations and she currently stewards a $50 million commitment to advance racial justice efforts in the Pittsburgh region. Michelle’s community leadership is extensive including serving as a co-chair for County Executive Sara Innamorato’s All In Allegheny transition committee in 2024. She is the recipient of many awards for her work including being honored by the Pennsylvania Governor's Commission on African American Affairs in 2020 and being recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Pennsylvania by Women We Admire in 2023 and 2024.
Sheila Gillespie Roth, Ph.D., LCSW
Owner, Roth Consulting, LLC
Sheila Roth earned a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work in 1984 and a Ph.D. from the School of Education in 1991. Since that time, she has worked as a medical social worker, a social work educator, and a therapist. Throughout her career, Dr. Roth always kept a focus on supporting and treating first responders via formal part-time employment, volunteer work, and research.
Prior to the development of Roth Consulting, Dr. Roth was professor and a founding member of the Carlow University BSW and MSW programs where she served as chair and focused her teaching on the impact of trauma both on individuals and communities. Roth retired from the University in 2023 as professor emeritus, so that she could begin building a therapy practice focused on the first responder community.
Currently, she is the owner of Roth Consulting, LLC. In this role she provides therapy to first responders and health care providers both in office and through teletherapy. In addition, she provides educational consulting for social work education programs and training for first responder groups on stress and well-being. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family.
Vanessa M Beck, MSW, LCSW
Program of General Caregiver Support Services Coordinator, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Vanessa is a licensed clinical social worker, who earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work in 2010. Prior to joining the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System in 2015, she worked with children and families in both the community and inpatient hospital settings, with acute and chronic medical and mental health needs. Vanessa has also worked with the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work in the Field Education office and as an adjunct faculty teaching undergraduate and graduate students. Vanessa currently is the Coordinator for the Program of General Caregiver Support Services.