2023 New Board Member Bios
April Anderson Ravert, MS
April Anderson Ravert currently serves as the Program Coordinator for NAMI Missouri, National Alliance on Mental Illness. April is very passionate and dedicated to serving, supporting, and advocating for families, especially those with young children. She holds a Master’s degree in family studies, and has coordinated programs and provided evaluation at several health science and teaching systems including Parkland Hospital Clinics, Johns Hopkins Hospital and University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH), and the University of Missouri. Project content areas within programs led by April, have included substance use, teen pregnancy and parenting, adolescent medicine, mental health, social emotional development of young children, and supports for optimal family development. April is also a mom to a 27-year-old daughter, a 22-year-old son, and an 8-year-old rescue husky named Blaze.
Wendy DuCassé, LCSW
Wendy DuCassé is the Director of Field Education for Saint Louis University's School of Social Work. Her social work career includes previous roles in school social work, behavioral health consulting, and case management. Wendy is a licensed clinical social worker in Missouri and has completed post-graduate work in non-profit management and leadership and will complete her doctoral studies in 2023. Her advocacy interests include school-based mental health services, cultural competence in the provision of healthcare services, and LGBTQ+ youth. Hobbies include exploring St. Louis, reading, fitness, trying new foods, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Ran Mano, MBA
Ran Mano is an experienced digital communicator and technologist. He is Vice President of Digital Communications at Centene Corporation where he oversees elements of external web, internal web, video and social media for the enterprise. Prior to his role at Centene, he developed the social media presence for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis during the financial crisis, and he worked for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, building the first ever local community portal. He lives in Clayton, Missouri, with his 12-year-old daughter. He's an avid traveler and explorer.
Brent Moore, PhD, LPC, MBA
Brent Moore is a licensed professional counselor in Missouri and LCPC in Kansas. He holds a PhD in health psychology, MA in clinical psychology, and MBA. Dr. Moore is director and associate professor of clinical mental health counseling at Indiana Wesleyan University. He founded Neural Pathways Learning Center, a clinic (in Liberty, MO) that specializes in treating anxiety, attention, and focus issues, particularly in academic settings. Dr. Moore is a registered play therapist and specializes in assessments.
Pamela Xaverius, PhD, MBA
Pamela Xaverius is a maternal and child health (MCH) epidemiologist, and her work focuses on the health of women and families before, during and after pregnancy. She is an associate professor of epidemiology at Saint Louis University, College for Public Health and Social Justice (SLU-CPHSJ), where she teaches courses in MCH epidemiology, social determinants of health, and the capstone course for MPH epidemiology students. Her past includes work as the Missouri state MCH Epidemiologist and as an NIH Health Disparity Scholar. She currently serves as the Vice President for Research and Scholarly Activity at the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in Saint Louis.