Leadership

Dr. Shadia Garvin is the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Education and Athletic Training Association (P.E.A.T.).  

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Shadia is a native of West Mifflin.  After graduating high school from Oakland Catholic, Shadia attended Duquesne University.  While at Duquesne, she was a Resident Assistant, a 2-year cheerleader captain, Homecoming Queen, and an employee of the Continuing Education department which was led by Dr. Benjamin Hodes and an employee of Duquesne University's learning skills center which was led by Dr. Judith Griggs.

 

Soon after graduating from Duquesne University with her Bachelor’s in Business Administration and minor in Spanish, Shadia began working in the financial services industry.  While working, she continued her education at Carlow University, where she became the keynote class speaker for the first Masters of Science in Management and Technology graduating class. 

 

In 2002, while working and raising her son, Shadia began her doctoral studies at Robert Morris University.  In 2005, Shadia completed her studies and graduated with a Doctor of Science degree in Information Systems and Communications.  Shadia’s dissertation, under primary advisement of Dr. Rex Crawley, focused on phenomenology (lived experiences) within qualitative research.   

 

Once Shadia completed her doctoral studies, she began teaching on ground and in class in areas that include research, writing, technology, ethics, public speaking, business, and communications.

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Shadia is a 28-year employee within financial services and has certificates from Cornell University in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Harvard University's Executive Education program with a concentration in Cybersecurity: Managing Risk in the Information Age, and MIT with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence.

 

Throughout her career, Shadia has been driven by an innate desire to serve her community.  Shadia contributes that drive to her mom, the late Charlotte Gray-Brown who advocated for the people in her community.  Shadia says, “Growing up with a mom that advocated for everyone, specifically, those who did not have access to resources, seemed like a natural progression for me. I saw her lead and wanted to ensure that legacy continued.”

 

Shadia lives in the East side of Pittsburgh with her family.  Shadia enjoys spending time with family, reading, curating clothes and event planning.

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