National Advisory Council

Dr. Stephen Cooper is a Professor of Social Work and BSW Program Director at William Woods University. Dr. Cooper is a social work educator who is known for his contributions in rural social work practice. He has taught BSW and MSW courses with an emphasis on research, statistics, policy, and community/organizational practice.

Term of Service: 2024 – 2029

Paolo del Vecchio, MSW is the Director of the Office of Management, Technology, and Operations for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Mr. del Vecchio works in partnership with SAMHSA and the Department of Health and Human Services to manage, provide leadership, and ensure SAMHSA’s needs are met.

A self-identified mental health consumer, trauma survivor, and person in recovery from addictions, Paolo has been involved for over 40 years in behavioral health as a consumer, family member, provider, advocate, and policy maker. He graduated summa cum laude with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Temple University, has published widely, and is a highly sought after national leader and speaker. Paolo has been a leader in many Federal efforts including the Federal Advisory Planning Board for the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, the HHS Multiple Chronic Conditions Initiative, the HHS Living Community Initiative and numerous others.

Term of Service: 2021 – 2026

Dena Granof, PhD, retired from The University of Texas at Austin as a faculty member in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2013.

She has over 40 years of experience working with children and adults and their families to help them cope with a communication or cognitive disability. She taught courses in communication and cognitive impairment throughout the age span; focusing on children with brain differences and genetic disorders; traumatic brain injury; and neurological changes in adults. 

Dr. Granof developed and led programs relating to the impact of disability on families and family structure both at The University of Texas and HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital.

Term of Service: 2019 – 2024

Dr. Angelique C. Harris is Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and is an Associate Professor in General Internal Medicine, in the Department of Medicine. They also serve as the Executive Director of Faculty Development for Boston University Medical Campus.

Dr. Harris’s research examines how groups construct health issues and how the structural marginalization and stigmatization they experience impact their experiences with health care. Their published works include Womanist AIDS Activism in the United States: “It’s Who We Are”; Queer People of Color: Connected but Not Comfortable; and the Intersections of Race and Sexuality book series.

Term of Service: 2023 – 2028

Dr. Jennifer Maedgen serves as the ADA/Section 504 Coordinator for the University of Texas at Austin campus, as well as the Electronic Information Resources Coordinator. Her office also coordinates accommodations under the auspices of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Term of Service 2024 – 2029

Dennis Mohatt is the Vice President for Behavioral Health for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).  Founded in 1955, the WICHE Mental Health Program is a collaborative venture with 15 western states, as well as the Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States.  The program’s mission is twofold: 1) to assist the states in the improvement of systems of care for persons with mental illness and their families; and 2) to advance the preparation of a qualified mental health workforce in the West. Prior to joining WICHE, he served as Deputy Director for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services from 1996-1999.  In that position, he was designated the state’s Commissioner of Mental Health, as well as providing leadership in the areas of public assistance, rural health, primary care, disabilities, and child welfare.  Dennis also was responsible for the administration of Nebraska’s public managed care initiatives in Medicaid for both physical and behavioral health.

He has over a decade of experience in community mental health and provided executive leadership to a CMHC in Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula, and the successful integration of community mental health services with primary care in two rural family medicine practices.  Dennis served on the National Rural Health Advisory Committee, to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, from 1994 – 1998.  During 2002-2003, he served as consultant to the Rural Issues Subcommittee of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health and assisted the committee in preparing its report to the President.  In 2019, Dennis was nominated and selected for the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Psychology Award from Division 27 of the American Psychological Association.

Term of Service: 2021 – 2026

Craig Moore is a criminal attorney in Austin, Texas.  As an Assistant District Attorney with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, he supervised two felony pretrial diversion programs focusing on mental health and substance use.  An advocate for criminal justice reform, Mr. Moore is a founding member of the Austin-Travis County Sobering Center.

Mr. Moore is a board member of the Austin Bar Association, and he has served on the Pattern Jury Charges – Criminal, Public Affairs, and District 9 Grievance committees for the State Bar of Texas.  He is the recipient of the City of Austin Distinguished Service Award, the African American Youth Harvest Foundation Social Justice Award, and the Austin Bar Association Award for Outstanding Public Sector Service.

Mr. Moore earned a Bachelor of Arts at Austin College and a dual Master of Public Affairs and Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.

Term of Service: 2020 – 2025

Michael Schwartz, M.D., psychiatrist, is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Joint Professor of Humanities in Medicine at the Texas A&M College of Medicine.  His career has been focused on the process of recovering from mental illness by emphasizing the promotion of wellness, overcoming stigma, and celebrating recovery.

Dr. Schwartz is Co-Founder and Medical Director of the Irwin Foundation, a group committed to abetting the process of recovering from mental illness. Author and co-author of numerous articles and chapters in books, and co-editor of numerous volumes, he is Co-Founding Editor of the journal “Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities in Medicine” and Associate Editor of “Philosophy, Psychiatry & Psychology.”

Dr. Schwartz is actively involved with the International Network for Philosophy and Psychiatry, co-organizing upcoming meetings in Poland and in France. In 1998, he was named, in Zurich, Switzerland as a recipient of the Dr. Margrit Egnar-Stiftung for “contributing to a more human world in which the human being with its mental needs stands in the center.” 

Term of Service: 2019 – 2024

Allen Smart is a national spokesperson and advocate for improving philanthropic practice under his group, PhilanthropywoRx. Under the PhilanthropywoRx umbrella, he works with individual funders, philanthropy support organizations, regional and national rural organizations, and national non-profits on a wide range of strategy, writing/researching, and staff coaching projects.

Term of Service: 2024 – 2029

Dr. Luis H. Zayas is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. President Guy Bailey announced Monday. He previously served as dean of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work and the Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy at The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Zayas is a nationally recognized academic and higher education administrator who has made significant contributions in the field of social work. His research has focused on the psychosocial development of the children of undocumented immigrants, especially their experiences with deportation threat. His published work includes the book Forgotten Citizens: Deportation, Children, and the Making of American Exiles and Orphans.

Term of Service: 2023 – 2028