Shea Manigo’s Family Tragedies Fuel Her Passion for Community

Posted

For The Press and Standard

• Shea Manigo is the SVP of CVS Front Store for the entire U.S., but her mission to “save the lives of other moms” and give back to the community isn’t associated with CVS at all

• When Shea was 4-years-old, her mom died tragically from a heart attack. Motivated to save other moms, Shea knew she wanted a career in healthcare, although she was unclear about what specialty to pursue

• Raised by her older brother and his wife, Shea experienced firsthand what it meant to be supported by a community of people

• However, shortly after encouraging Shea to attend pharmacy school, Shea’s sister was murdered, which fueled Shea to pursue her doctorate of pharmacy

• While attending MUSC School of Pharmacy (’07), Shea struggled as a single mom of a toddler son as a full-time student with a full-time management job

• But another setback would again test her resilience – her second son was born with a heart defect and underwent open heart surgery

• Inspired by her own life experiences, Shea wanted to give back to Charleston – in honor of her mother’s legacy, she created the MUSC School of Pharmacy Annie Lee Jerido Williams Minorities in Pharmacy Lowcountry Endowment and Scholarship Fund, which supports minority students with preference for South Carolina natives

• Through mentoring and compassionate leadership, Shea is also inspiring a new generation of health workers who are sowing into local communities

• Hillary Anne Reeves MUSC School of Pharmacy ’23 and the first recipient of the Annie Lee Jerido Williams Minorities in Pharmacy scholarship, who mentors other students and travels the world as she continues to pursue a career in pharmacy

• Kennedy Crosby, a Presbyterian College pharmacy, a young adult coach and mentor, who was inspired by Shea and is currently completing a pharmacy residency program at Parkland Health

• Shea, who believes “our experiences shape our existence…and create meaningful personal missions”, also serves on the board of A Better Chance, a nonprofit which aims to empower students of color through educational opportunities

 

Quick facts: 

• Heart disease was the leading cause of death in South Carolina, and it was one of the leading cause of hospitalizations among Black South Carolinians

• Blacks are more likely to die from heart disease when compared to other races due to increased heart disease related risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol (Minority Health, HHS)