Holding considerable expertise in relationship development, Dr. ShaYanna Mungo first embarked on her professional journey in sixth grade, when she was trained as a peer mediator at Kennedy Middle School. In high school, she completed two medical internships and developed significant interest in neuroscience and psychology, particularly in how people operate with one another. Additionally, over the course of her early education she moved around between eight different schools and was exposed to a variety of different interpersonal relationship types. Joining North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2000, becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college.
From there, Dr. Mungo obtained a Master of Business Administration in technology management from the University of Phoenix in 2006 and a Master of Business Administration in project management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2011. During this time, she began her career in business management as a change manager for the Bank of America from 2010 to 2011 before going on to serve as a project support change manager for PNC Bank from 2011 to 2012 and as a project manager for GlaxoSmithKline in 2012. She then became an information technology project manager for Allscripts from 2012 to 2013. From 2013 to 2018, she worked as an AVP security program manager for Deutsche Bank and briefly served as an information security project manager for NetApp in 2018.
Dr. Mungo concluded her formal studies with a Doctor of Management in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix in 2018, which was followed by certification as an information systems security professional from Everblue in 2019. In 2018, she joined the Institute for Dynamic Leaders, where she continues to excel as a corporate team builder and organizational consultant. She also spent time as an information technology project manager for Pharmaceutical Product Development in 2019 and as information technology support staff for IBM in 2020.
Since 2020, Dr. Mungo has additionally excelled as a senior information technology project manager for Parexel, a biopharmaceutical services provider, and joined The John Maxwell Company as an independent executive director to the John Maxwell Team in 2021. She also recently accepted her first adjunct professor role with California Intercontinental University as part of her burgeoning plans to help others acquire professional certifications. Dr. Mungo notes that there are no real certifications for developing “soft skills” for business and she wants to develop certifications for people who may need further coaching.
An accomplished author in her field, Dr. Mungo was published three times in 2018 — her dissertation, “Security Breach Threats of Bring Your Own Device: A Qualitative Case Study,” with the University of Phoenix; a co-authored book, “Pink Grenades: The Conflict & Victory in Communication with Business Women,” through WOM Enterprises; and a co-authored article in a scholarly journal. She also authored the chapter “Improving Student Classroom Behavior Through Nonviolent Classroom Management and the Implementation of Emotional Intelligence for Educators,” for the book “Cultivating a Culture of Nonviolence in Early Childhood Development Centers and Schools” through IGI Global in 2019. She has spoken at a number of summits, conferences and other events, including the Johnston County Early College Academy Leadership Day in 2020; the Greenville Chamber Virtual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit in 2020; and the KWB Annual Research Summit in 2021, where she spoke on best practices for the virtual learning work using situational leadership, emotional intelligence and contingency planning.
Attributing much of her success to the influence of her mother, who always reminded her to be humble, Dr. Mungo also emphasizes the importance of understanding and forgiveness. Furthermore, she is the proud mother of three children, Anaiya K. Whitaker, Asher L. Whitaker and Ansen M. Whitaker. She is particularly proud of her daughter Anaiya, who will be graduating from the Johnston County Early College Academy in 2022 with three diplomas, her high school diploma, an Associate of Science and an Associate of Arts. In addition, she has made an effort to be active with her daughter’s school events and hopes to do the same for her two sons when they are of school age. In her free time, Dr. Mungo enjoys volunteering in community efforts and participating in 5k and 13k races to support regular exercise.