Spartan Well-Being Staff

Associate Director, Spartan Well-Being

Shahnaz Khawaja, M.A., NCC, BCC, LCMHC, LCAS (she,her,hers)

Shahnaz has a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Wake Forest University. She has over 20 years’ experience in clinical mental health, addictions counseling, higher education leadership and well-being and resilience. Shahnaz is also an active community leader and has served on the board of the American Red Cross High Point/Thomasville Chapter; as a Human Relations Commissioner for the city of High Point NC; Freelance writer for the Greensboro News & Record; member readership Committee for the High Point Enterprise Daily; and member of the Davidson Diversity Council and currently serves on the leadership boards of several non-profit organizations that provide mental health and community building services internationally.

In her free time, she continues to provide mental health training and education; crisis, addiction and trauma counseling services; and leadership development overseas. She has served in a professional leadership capacity with the American Counseling Association in several divisions as the Public Relations Committee Chair for the Association of Humanistic Counseling and with the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors as their Webinar Committee Chair.

Shahnaz was born in Uganda, East Africa, and has traveled extensively all over the world. Before entering the field of mental health, Shahnaz was an international model and actress with several appearances in television and commercials and as a brand representative for prominent labels such as Bisou Bisou, Zara’s, Armani Exchange and H&M. She moved to the United States in 1998 and has been a local of New Orleans- Louisiana, and High Point- and the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. She currently resides in Snow Camp, NC. When not doing any of the above, she maintains a private counseling/consulting practice. Shahnaz enjoys skydiving, nature, writing, painting and yoga and spending time with her daughter Ambar Khawaja who is attending Maastricht University in the Netherlands.