FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Megan Ragan, LCSW, is the Executive Director of the Southern Illinois Resource and Advocacy Center. With over a decade of experience in southern Illinois child and family serving systems, Megan has a robust background in leadership, grant management, and program development. She has led numerous state and federal grant initiatives through successful implementation and evaluation, and she is passionate about using these skills to bring more resources and support to the community. Megan is a dynamic presenter, known for engaging workshops on a variety of topics including substance use, mental health, trauma, and neurodiversity. She is committed to enhancing services and support in her community through compassionate engagement.

CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Angela Quigley-Ragland is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master of Social Work from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She currently serves as the Director of Social Work at Chester Mental Health Center. Angela has extensive experience in program administration, clinical supervision, and grant management, having worked with various organizations including Centerstone and Lutheran Social Services. Her expertise includes trauma-informed care, substance use disorder treatment, and community outreach. Angela has also directed several SAMHSA-funded projects and has presented at numerous professional conferences on topics related to mental health and trauma.

CONSULTANT AND VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Dhru first fell in love with the beauty and people of southern Illinois nearly 20 years ago. Although Dr. Dhru has spent recent years outside of southern Illinois serving as an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of North Texas, he has maintained close personal and professional ties with the community and has been instrumental in bringing millions of grant dollars for services, programs and resources to southern Illinois.

MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chris Dennis, a writer and Recovery Support Services Program Manager in southern Illinois, is the author of the story collection Here Is What You Do (Soho Press, 2019). His fiction and essays have appeared in the Paris Review, Playgirl, McSweeney's, Lit Hub, Guernica, and Granta. He holds an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis, where he also won a postgraduate fellowship. Chris is a person with lived experience and has spent the last several years serving as a catalyst in the southern Illinois recovery movement.