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.