Mission & Data Driven

Rachelle Glavin is a Jefferson City, Missouri native and lives an active life with her husband and their three boys. Rachelle joined the Missouri Behavioral Health Council in 2008 and feels blessed that she not only got the job, but that she also found her career path in behavioral healthcare. Rachelle has served in various roles during her tenure at the Council and the opportunity to develop and support the implementation of statewide integrated care initiatives and data solutions that inform and drive care management, population health, and outcomes reporting. She also enjoys the opportunity to consult with various groups around the country about Missouri’s journey and the progressive work of the Council’s members. The collaboration in Missouri between the state and provider system is a key element to the success of that journey, which has produced outcomes that prove the significant positive impact our providers make in the lives of those they serve.

Mark Schwartz is the Director of Government Affairs at the Missouri Behavioral Health Council. He is responsible for in-house government relations for the Council covering legislation, budget, state rules, and outreach to legislative and executive branch members. Mark earned his Consumer Economics degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia and his Master’s in Political Science at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. After college, Mark began an over 20-year career at the Missouri State Capitol. He has worked in various positions including Chief of Staff to the House Budget Committee Chairman and Chief of Staff to former Senator Ryan Silvey (R-Kansas City). Following a short stint at the contract lobbying firm Statehouse Strategies, Mark found his home at the Council. Outside of work Mark enjoys hunting, fishing and recreational sports. He is an avid sports fan of all things Missouri. Born and raised in Jefferson City, Mark currently resides there with his wife, Danielle, and children, Jack and Anna.

Cindy Davis is the Director of Health Services at the Missouri Behavioral Health Council. Cindy was raised in Olathe, Kansas and graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management. She made Jefferson City, Missouri her home when she began to work at Capital Region Medical Center. Progressing over a 23-year career there, she went from medical coder to quality improvement analyst, to utilization reviewer, to the Director of Case Management. The utilization review and case management work acquainted Cindy with many behavioral health patients, particularly in the emergency department. This ultimately led her to the Council to help coordinate our Emergency Room Enhancement program as well as support the Council’s clinical team and important initiatives they manage, such as Disease Management Outreach, Behavioral Healthcare Homes, and Community Mental Health Liaisons. Cindy’s background and enthusiasm for finding opportunities to help people facing diverse problems that life can present has made her position here at the Council rewarding by seeing change happen on a statewide level. Even though Cindy and her daughter Grace live in mid-Missouri, they continue to hold their own and remain true fans of the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago Cubs.

Natalie Cook is the Director of Prevention and Recovery at the Missouri Behavioral Health Council. Natalie was raised in Riverton, Kansas and earned a Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. Natalie chose the behavioral health field after seeing her brother struggle with mental illness and substance use disorders as an adolescent. She used her education and training to provide direct care to youth, adults, and families before recognizing her strengths and passion for “behind the scenes work” and took a quality assurance job with the Missouri Department of Mental Health. In her various positions and 10 plus years with the state, she was able to take policy and procedure and conceptualize it into practice guidance for community behavioral health agencies. In her current role with the Council, she has worked more closely with providers in helping them implement practice change designed to make behavioral health services in Missouri the most innovative in the country. Natalie greatly enjoys hearing providers share the success they have had and the impact this has brought on the lives of Missourians. She also serves as a Board member of the Missouri Credentialing Board. Natalie resides in Jefferson City with her husband Michael, son Giovanni, and dog Hank.

KC Rafferty is the Community Integration Manager at the Missouri Behavioral Health Council. KC earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia College. In 2004, KC started working at Child Safe of Central Missouri, assisting in building the child advocacy program. This experience led her to work with Children’s Division and ultimately spent nine years supporting Missouri’s treatment courts at the Office of State Courts Administrator. Throughout her career, KC has developed a strong passion for helping those with behavioral health needs and she found the opportunity to advocate for these individuals with the Council. In her role at the Council, KC is excited to work with the Community Mental Health Liaison and Substance Use Disorder Liaison program as well as support the effort to expand crisis response services throughout the state. She and her husband have two grown children.

James Barber was born in Ohio but being an Air Force child lived in many states and countries throughout his childhood. He landed in Missouri and began growing some roots. He attended the University of Missouri studying Biochem but decided to go a different direction. He finished his schooling at the University of Phoenix for IT software engineering. He met his wife, had two wonderful children, and settled in a quaint earth contact home in Taos, Missouri. James previously worked for the State of Missouri for five years working in their IT department. He has since moved on with his career and began a new journey at the Missouri Behavioral Health Council, where he is now their Data and IT Manager still working on IT and data programs. James is excited for this new role and the social interactions it brings.

Mikala Geiger is the Prevention Services Manager at the Missouri Behavioral Health Council. Mikala was born and raised in Russellville, Missouri. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Columbia College in Columbia, MO and she is currently working on her Master’s in Community Agency Counseling (LPC) at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO. Mikala feels fortunate to have played collegiate golf for both Universities. She is excited about completing her master’s degree in May 2022. Mikala chose the behavioral health field due to losing loved ones to suicide and substance use. She has 5-years’ experience in direct care and identifies the need for prevention services across the life span. Mikala enjoys volunteering at the local food bank, the Salvation Army, the Samaritan Center, the Special Learning Center, the Special Olympics, and golf clinics which fuel her passion to help others. The Missouri Behavioral Health Council allows Mikala to impact, challenge, and break down walls surrounding prevention and recovery. One of her favorite quotes is by Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” Mikala and her husband are building a home in Russellville and love spending time on the farm with their cows, horses, and dogs.

Kelsey Mengwasser is from a quaint mid-Missouri town called Rich Fountain. She went to high school at Fatima High School where she excelled in academics while volunteering for S.A.D.D (Students Against Drunk Driving). She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Rockhurst University in Kansas City. After graduating, Kelsey knew she wanted to make an impact in people’s lives by helping and caring for others. She moved back to her hometown and began working at Little Sprouts Clubhouse as a teacher. While she loved teaching, she wanted to do more with her psychology degree. Now she works as an Administrative Services Coordinator for the Missouri Behavioral Health Council. Her role at the Council gives her the ability to be involved in all aspects of association management and take on a leadership role. She also helps manage meetings by legislative and joint task force committees. Kelsey is excited to learn, watch, and participate in the changes that are to come in mental health. The most rewarding part of the job is getting to be a part of, and to see everyone come together to better mental health. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter in their hometown of Rich Fountain, Missouri.

Nicole is a Jefferson City native who has been in the Administrative field since graduating as an honor roll student from Jefferson City High School. Before joining the Council her previous experience includes a role as an independent contractor with the Cole County Health Department assisting the Epidemiologist with the County’s Emergency Preparedness Plan. This position brought to light the impact that community support organizations can have. She was also impacted by her tenure at Preferred Family Healthcare at the adult facility of Jefferson City. She was inspired by the different levels of treatment and support through the organization and ones similar in her own community. Nicole spent multiple years as an office manager at a locally owned Jefferson City business and thoroughly enjoyed being a part of its growth before deciding to take on the opportunity in joining the Council’s mission. While her post high school education was centered in the health science field, she thrived in being a part of multiple aspects of an organization and excited to be a part of the Missouri Behavioral Council’s vision and growing with it’s commitment to her community.

Taking on a role with the Council has allowed her to feel like she is making a difference in working towards over initiatives in her community. Her role at the Council gives her the ability to be involved in the administrative wheels that turn internally along with other aspects of association management. When she is not at work she enjoys being a busy sports mom alongside her husband and also likes harvesting her garden and being on the water in her kayak.

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” – Audrey Hepburn

Brooke Holterman is the Integrated Care Manager with Missouri Behavioral Health Council. Brooke graduated with a Masters of Social Work from University of Missouri-Columbia in 2019 and is now a Licensed Clinical Social Worker through the State of Missouri. She has worked in a variety of health service settings, including a role as a Behavioral Health Consultant at University of Missouri Family Medicine clinics. Brooke's most recent role has been serving the vulnerable population of offenders in the Missouri correctional facilities, where she started to see a need for more accessible behavioral health care for vulnerable populations. In her current role at the Council, Brooke is excited to use her knowledge and experiences to focus on improving health and well-being of the whole person, and to increase access to behavioral health services in Missouri. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their son.

Jason Romont is the Crisis Services Manager at the Missouri Behavioral Health Council. Jason was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. He earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Social Work from the University of Northern Iowa. He went into this field of work due to his passion for helping people and has over 6 years of experience with providing direct client care. Jason is excited to be able to continue to help those in our community and helping support those who are in crisis. Jason is currently living in Columbia, MO and loves going for hikes, walking his dog, or just out enjoying nature itself.