Amani Legagneur is the Northside Hospital System Director of Spiritual Health and Education.  Amani graduated from Amherst College with Distinction as a dual major in Interdisciplinary Biochemistry and Spanish Language and Culture. Her career started in the biomedical sciences with research aimed at fighting breast cancer and AIDS Wasting disorder. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School, completed an additional four years of post-graduate ACPE Certified Educator training at Emory Spiritual Care, and completed Cognitively-Based Compassion Training through the Emory Center of Contemplative Sciences.

Amani is an ordained minister endorsed for chaplaincy in the United Church of Christ and a Co-Active Coach through the Co-Active Training Institute. An avid writer, she published a volume of poetry entitled, Cymbals and Thyme, and most recently authored a chapter entitled, “The Healing Welcomer: A Postcolonial Image of Spiritual Care Response” in Postcolonial Images of Spiritual Care: Challenges of Care in a Neoliberal Age (Moon and Lartey, 2020). Amani is an inspirational speaker and leader who has been featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Personal Journeys series as well as a variety of publications and podcasts. She is an experienced retreat facilitator who is most honored to have co-led an international leadership retreat, Renewing the Spirit of Leadership, with the renowned founders of the Center for Courage and Renewal, Parker Palmer and Marcy Jackson.

In 2021, Amani became a radio presence on behalf of Northside Hospital to promote “Talk About It”, a campaign that offered support for women’s holistic health during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has since spearheaded innovative spiritual care in the wake of a mass shooting tragedy that occurred in a Northside clinic, creating a “Calm Center” with spiritual care offerings ranging from the creative arts to aromatherapy, massage, and meditation. Amani views spiritual healthcare and education as resources for developing greater resilience, equanimity, compassion, healing potential, virtue, and faith in a world of infinite need and extraordinary potential. Of all her roles, Amani is most proud of those she occupies with her loved ones—mom, daughter, partner, sister, and friend.