LaWanda
Ravoira, D.P.A.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Pace Center for Girls, Inc.
Dr. LaWanda Ravoira currently serves as President and Chief Executive
Officer of PACE Center for Girls, Inc., a statewide not-for-profit
organization that annually provides gender-specific, comprehensive
educational, therapeutic, and transitional support services to
2,000 girls at risk for delinquency. PACE is headquartered in
Jacksonville, FL, with 17 centers located throughout the State.
According to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice's 1998
Quality Assurance Annual Report, PACE centers exceeded departmental
standards in all areas. PACE has proven to be highly effective
with girls in the juvenile justice system, and the 1998 report
noted that 98 percent of the girls who exhibited risk factors
for criminal activity remained crime free following participation
in a PACE program. Previously, Dr. Ravoira served as Director
of Program Services for the National Network of Runaway and Youth
Services in Washington, DC, and as an administrator with Covenant
House/Florida, Ft. Lauderdale, an international childcaring agency
that provides residential and nonresidential services to homeless
and runaway youth. In this position, Dr. Ravoira was responsible
for administering the residential and nonresidential programs
for males and females, including the adolescent pregnancy and
parenting program. Early work experience includes providing social
work services to inner-city youth in New York City through the
Catholic Guardian Society. Dr. Ravoira serves as Board President
for the National Girls' Caucus, a nationwide membership organization
whose mission is to create change in the juvenile justice system
through focusing attention on the unique needs of girls and young
women who are at risk or who are already in the justice system.
Dr. Ravoira described the National Girls' Caucus in a 1999 article
in the OJJDP Journal, Juvenile Justice, volume 6, number 1. Included
in Dr. Ravoira's other publications is Social Bonds and Teen
Pregnancy, Greenwood Publishing, 1992. Dr. Ravoira holds a doctorate
in public administration, a master's degree in allied health,
and a bachelor's degree in sociology.
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