Meet Our Staff

Steven Lopez MD,
Psychiatrist

Steven Lopez MD, Psychiatrist, has been the Medical Director at Palmetto Summerville for about 15 years. He believes in the multi-disciplinary approach with our clients. This approach requires nurses, Mental Health Technicians, teachers, family, activity therapists, social work therapists, and Psychiatrists putting their heads together to get a clear picture of each child.

Dr. Lopez went to ETSU College of Medicine. He moved to Charleston to attend MUSC residency and fellowship. He hopes to never leave this great city!

Ajay Sood, MD, Psychiatrist

Ajay Sood, MD, Psychiatrist, treats children and adolescents at Palmetto Summerville Behavioral Health with mental health concerns. With his hometown in Charleston, SC; Dr. Sood has 14 years’ experience treating all mental health conditions – including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Having graduated from Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Dr. Sood specializes in Psychiatric care for children and teens.

JaNequa Maxey, Director of Admissions

JaNequa Maxey, MSW, received her Bachelors Degree in Sociology from Clemson University. Shortly after graduation she began working with a state agency to expose local families to resources and provide case management services. After obtaining her Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of South Carolina, JaNequa continued her career at Palmetto Summerville as a Clinical Therapist and later joined the admissions team where she currently serves as the Director of Admissions. The most rewarding part of her work is knowing that she is able to play a vital role in equipping our youth here at Palmetto with the tools necessary to persevere through life’s challenges. JaNequa is a native of Charleston, SC. She enjoys traveling, enriching the lives of others, and spending time with her family and friends.

Ana Daniels, CSWA, MSW, Director of Clinical Services

Ana Daniels, CSWA, MSW, Director of Clinical Services – is a native of Charleston, South Carolina.  With an infectious laugh and deep love for children, Ana’s career has focused on “tangible love for lasting change.”  Ana’s career in social work began after a childhood trauma that caused her to be exposed to passionate social workers with a genuine desire to effect change in the life of their clients.  For more than 20 years, Ana has worked in a multitude of social work settings – including community mental health, residential treatment facilities, long-term care healthcare, and crisis stabilization, just to name a few.  Most recently, Ana lived and worked in China, where she owned an English language school while teaching kindergarten, developing curriculum and training tools for staff; and building a social-emotional learning program that introduced western culture to Chinese children.  “Everyone deserves the chance to be whoever and whatever they want.”  With that belief in mind, Ana strives to foster a nurturing environment that will produce positive results!

Felicia Gadson, Director of Risk Management

Felicia Gadson holds a Master of Arts in Counseling with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Webster University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Phoenix.  She most recently served as the Supervisor of Needs Assessments at Three Rivers Behavioral Health in Columbia, SC.  Felicia possesses well over 10 years of clinical residential and acute care behavioral health experience.  She also served as a regulatory compliance liaison for the South Carolina Department of Social Services where she was responsible for conducting compliance inspections of children and adolescent residential care facilities throughout South Carolina.   Felicia’s love for children and their need to embrace who they are moves her to share with them this quote from Dr. Suess as often as she can:  “Today you are You.  That is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”